Steam
by starah
Summary: PA fic; a mad scientist goes chasing after Vash the Stampede. Vash does not like the threats to his friends. A little VM and WM fluff. Completed.
1. Introduction

Okay, first things first.  
Hello, my kind out there! You are reading this for a story, no? ^^;;  
  
The first thing for me is that this Trigun story has a weird backing. It does not start directly after the anime, no Knives will not be mentioned immediately.  
  
But it _is_ set after the anime, right? And it also turns out Wolfwood is alive, so here he is. How he comes around to be alive will be mentioned (briefly mentioned because it's not really a highlighted point here, but still mentioned), so don't worry.  
  
Okay, last thing - I don't write very good, and I usually go for one-shots. But I thought it'd be cool to write a story about this, about that, about blah (basically spouting ideas off the top of my head, which were creative but not very good... still, nonetheless, creative) - and I thought it'd be nice to write a longer story, and it ended up being chaptered.   
  
This is why the story may be chaptered weird, or even chaptered wrong, because this is my first time doing a longer story than I usually do. (Actually I wrote one when I was eleven, and I wrote it on notepad. It took up a whole page of note pad - no more memory left for one file - and another, but when I submitted it, the person cut it up into three chapters and stuck in all this romantic crap. I was mortified. Well, I was eleven. And it was for an American cartoon, so it's different feeling with an anime fanfic. Oh whatever just keep reading.)  
  
The story isn't ended, but it depends on reaction. I do appreciate and act towards what people say.   
  
Thanks for reading, and the next bit is the first chapter. The chapters grow longer as they go - I can't help that. ^^;;  
  
Arigatou again~  
  
-starah  
  
p.s. You wanna know why this is called 'Steam'? I might tell you... one day.  



	2. Chapter One: Sandstorm

  
**Chapter One: Sandstorm**   
  
"Will you all please stay in your seats!!"  
The bus-driver yelled out angrily. The hullabaloo inside the bus finally ceased.   
"Now, I know that the sandstorm outside is disturbing. I know that the engine is acting funny. And I know you're not happy about it, so I'm really very sorry. But screaming, jostling and yelling is not going to help!"  
The passengers sat in silence as the bus-driver continued to lecture them.  
At the back of the bus, Milly looked like a child being scolded.  
Sitting opposite, Wolfwood just looked tired. So did Vash, who was sitting next to Wolfwood.  
The last time they had ridden a bus the two had had to deal with a bunch of lost technology robots.  
This time they were kept busy by a bunch of bandits. Those bandits had come in a huge group - a bit like the Roadwreck gang, but less known, less civilised... but much more people.  
Although the two were unscathed, they still felt tired after the ordeal. Milly and Meryl had helped fend off bandits attempting to sneak up on the two main defenders of the bus-group, and they were both pretty tired, too - not as tired as Wolfwood and Vash, but tired, nonetheless. Meryl was washing up in the bathroom - the last one to visit it from the four and allowing them to fall asleep before she did.  
But the bus-driver was incredibly loud as he talked, so although Milly was listening and Vash and Wolfwood were not, they were finding it hard to sleep. Finally, the bus-driver seemed to be losing steam.   
"...so I expect you to all be quiet. I know it'll be hard in a middle of an unexpected sandstorm such as this, but we'll get by. We'll have a couple of hours delay, but I promise you, we'll be there in two days. I am awfully sorry, but please, do not panic."  
The bus-driver fell silent, and then the bus began to fill with the normal talking noise-level. It was a lot more quieter than usual, actually, because of the sand outside violently lashing against the panes and because the whirring of the engine was non-existant at the moment, making whatever noise they made a lot more louder than usual. It was also dark outside, being it night and sandstorm, making the inside of the bus seem brighter than ever.  
It was going to be difficult to sleep.  
Wolfwood groaned.  
"Geez, Tongari. Nothing good ever follows you."  
"Yes, we had those robots last time, and now we had bandits to take care of! Your life is sure exciting, Vash-san."  
Milly said brightly.  
"I can't help it when bad things happen to me, but if you call it exciting, then I guess that's good."  
Wolfwood smiled dryly at Vash's weird laugh after that sentence, then turned to give Milly a much more warmer smile.  
"Can I sit next to you again?"  
He asked, gesturing towards the empty space.   
Milly thought for a few seconds, knowing Meryl would probably get mad at her if she let Wolfwood take her place again. As she opened her mouth to say no, she then thought how much she liked Wolfwood-san...  
"Sure."  
came out instead, and she obliged, moving over a little for Wolfwood. He leaned against her again, and Milly smiled contentedly as she leaned herself against him.  
Vash rolled his eyes and settled his chin into his palm as he set himself to gaze out of the window.  
"Some priest."  
Vash muttered. After a minute or so, he heard  
"Ara?"  
from the other side, and raised his head to look over. It was Milly sounding surprised, as Wolfwood had taken her hand into his. Vash saw her face blush uncontrollably as he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. He was muttering something to her, but Vash couldn't hear it.   
Just then, Vash noticed Meryl behind the seat Wolfwood was sitting in. Her eyes were practically blazing, but she didn't say anything and instead walked over to sit next to Vash. They both looked over to where Wolfwood was now leaning against Milly as before, whose eyes were widening by the second, their hands clasped together as they leant against each other.  
"Chi."  
Vash's and Meryl's voices sounded in unison. They shared brief eye-contact in surprise, but before either of them could say anything, the bus-driver spoke up.  
"I'm now going to turn off the lights. We can't move in this storm, so I'm going to catch some shuteye, too. But in the morning, the lights will attract the attention of desert thieves and bandits - we don't want to let that happen again, so we'll turn it off. Any serious objections?"  
Silence.  
"Alright then, folks. In the morning."  
There was a few seconds silence before the lights went out. The inky darkness plagued them for a few seconds, but soon the extremely dim light from the moons that had managed to filter through the sandstorm adjusted to their senses.  
Minutes passed, and soon people were falling asleep.  
  
Sand whipped around his hair and his clothes billowed out. But he didn't seem to mind or care. His lips curled into a smile.   
A short distance away was a bus. The bus's lights went out after while, but this didn't seem to affect the man.  
He was still smiling his cruel smile as he pressed a thumb to a strange contraption around his neck. A high pitch of static sounded before it began to tune into freqeuncy. Finally, a voice from the device sounded.  
"Well?"  
The voice was impatient.  
"I found him."  
"Is he with the others? Are you sure it's them? You didn't mess up? You're _absolutely_ sure?"  
The man closed his eyes, gnashing his teeth together in apparent anger.   
"Yes, I am, sir. I can sense it."  
"Good."  
The voice now sounded satisfied.  
"You can stay there and keep watch. Do not let them out of your sight. Understood?"  
"Yes, sir. Signing out."  
And he pressed his thumb against the button again roughly.  
  
  



	3. Chapter Two: Gash

  
**Chapter Two: Gash**   
  
Meryl felt like a board. As to say, she felt stiff. She didn't like sitting next to Vash; she only felt uncomfortable. People around the bus were able to lean against each other with ease and sleep with peaceful hearts; she felt the distinct awkwardness of leaning into Vash. It would feel so weird. She felt like he was the type to look at her as though she was lice or something before shoving her off.   
But Meryl could feel her muscles and bones aching. She heard everyone deeply sleeping, and let out a sigh. She chanced a glance to her right, where Vash was quietly looking outside the window, leaning against his hand and looking outside the window.   
'He's sleeping already?'  
She thought. Then again, she wasn't surprised. The bandits weren't particularly difficult to handle, but there had been so many of them.  
'Speaking of which,'  
Meryl thought, looking down to her hand. Visible to her view, there was a vertical gash across her back of her hand, which she knew was enough to scar for life. She'd gotten the injury when a bandit with a knife had tried to stab Vash, and Meryl had just thrust her hand across just in time. The knife had gone right through her hand, but Meryl pushed her hand away from Vash's neck and pulled the knife out before using her left hand to shoot the bandits knee.  
Milly had practically been crying as she wrapped Meryl's hand up, even though she'd been lucky that the knife hadn't pierced anything too serious and Meryl acted as though it didn't hurt her a bit.  
Yeah right.  
Who cared how lucky she was.  
It still hurt like hell.  
But Meryl wasn't about to show Vash that it hurt her. She knew Vash would be tormented at the idea of someone in pain because of him. Meryl had an idea that Vash knew how she'd gotten the injury, so she acted like it didn't hurt her at all. She even removed her bandages once the gash had stopped bleeding, just to kind of prove that it wasn't serious.  
Meryl tried balling her right hand into a fist, and felt the gash stretch, the clotted blood beginning to open. Cursing extremely quietly, Meryl stopped exerting her hand. But after a while, she felt that she should try again.  
Meryl flexed her fingers, feeling her gash begin to throb as she did so.  
She nearly jumped out of her skin when another hand put itself on top of hers.   
'Vash-san...?!'  
Meryl realised Vash hadn't been asleep after all. She tried to move her hand away from his, but he pressed her hand down slightly.   
She looked up at him, but he wasn't looking at her. He was looking outside the window. Meryl tried to tug her hand away again, but Vash only increased pressure, although not enough pressure to hurt.  
Sighing in defeat, Meryl gently leaned back into the bus seat. Then she saw that now Vash had a hand on hers, she was in just the right position to lean against him. 'He'll just shove me away.'  
Meryl thought. Then the image of him putting his hand onto hers came to mind.  
'Okay, so he's not that mean... in fact... he's too nice...'  
So she tried a different tack, trying to reason with herself.   
'I do NOT want to lean against him, he'll be all bony and buckly and...'  
Meryl's thoughts were frantic, but for once, her desire won, and she leant against him very slightly and gently.  
He wasn't bony or buckly after all - not with that big red trenchcoat on.  
Meryl was again startled to feel Vash relax, allowing Meryl to lean against him more comfortably. She rested her cheek against his arm, then realised how short she really was in comparison.  
'Argh! Dammit. I don't even go up to his shoulder,'  
Meryl thought annoyedly.   
Then it happened.   
Vash took her hand into his, and began to rub the gash very gently with his thumb. Meryl nearly bolted upright, but she somehow managed to calm down. Then she closed her eyes.  
Was he making it better, somehow? Then again, he was a plant... maybe he had the power to heal...? Don't be ridiculous, she told herself, you're just sleepy... getting sleepy thoughts... but then again... he doesn't have to literally heal me to have the power to heal...  
'Dammit... I really am getting sleepy, am't I...'  
Meryl thought, a small smile lighting her face at herself. She fell asleep soon after, to fall into a dream.  
If she'd stayed awake a little longer, and kept her thoughts going, Meryl would've realised how similar the scene between Wolfwood and Milly had just been between her and Vash.  
  
  



	4. Chapter Three: Red Sky

  
**Chapter Three: Red Sky**   
  
Red sky.  
All Meryl could see for a moment was the wine-soaked sky, bleeding at the edges and fading to the center.  
Then it was a fast blur and whirl of colour, then ground as she bit the dust.  
She felt her teeth rattle as her chin hit the ground hard, then felt the first kick.  
It caught her right in the side; she yelped out mostly in surprise than pain, which came a little later.  
A thick rain of heavy boots stepped on her legs, her back, her shoulders - the boot would either kick her away or scrape against her painfully.  
Kicks flew in randomly, but mostly aimed for her sides.  
The pain...  
The pain was terrible.  
Meryl knew she was getting hurt because of... him.  
He was going to do something he didn't want to do.  
He was going to be forced to do it...  
Forced by her?  
_ No!_  
But Meryl knew what would make him do it.  
_ I mustn't cry out._  
She felt an iron tip of a boot make contact with her thigh, and felt her leggings tear.  
_ I mustn't cry out._  
Her thigh began to throb; she could feel bruises already forming, yet they were still kicking, still shoving and pushing her around.  
_ No, I mustn't cry out._  
A kick caught her in the shoulder blade, and she felt something jarr inside. A cry crept up her throat, but Meryl suddenly remembered.  
_ If he hears me in pain, he'll do whatever they want him to.   
I can't cry out - I just can't!_  
She bit the inside of her bottom lip, and prevented the cry rising up herself. Blood filled her mouth. Just then, someone jabbed her head roughly with a stick.  
Straight after that, sticks and gun-butts started to jab her, hit her --  
_No! I'm not going to cry out!_  
Her lip cut as she was roughly kicked aside and then slapped harshly at the jaw by the end of a stick, and she felt blood trickle down her chin.  
Someone kicked her in the stomach, and caught her up.  
Her mouth opened, pain aching to acknowledge itself, but Meryl shut her mouth quickly, biting her lip again.  
The kicks kept coming in.   
Sticks and guns were still hitting her, jabbing at her jaw, her back, her legs...  
They were still stepping on her...  
Tears began to course down her cheeks.  
_No! Milly is getting hurt just as much as I am._  
Then Meryl realised that Milly was letting out stifled cries of pain behind her.  
_Keep the effort going, Meryl. Don't give in. Don't cry.  
Don't cry out._  
Saltiness filled her mouth, mingling sickeningly with the coppery taste of blood.  
Then, quite suddenly, someone hit her knee-cap.  
It felt as though it had shattered.  
Meryl bit the inside of her lip as hard as she could, but someone slapped her face aside, and the flesh inside her mouth tore.  
Blood splattered from her mouth as her cry of pain was voiced.  
Meryl then found that after that came another cry.  
Then another.  
_NO!_  
Her tears were still flowing, her mouth still bleeding, and now she found that she couldn't stop crying out, either.  
_No...._  
She thought, opening her eyes just to look at him before someone shoved a gun-barrel into her face, forcing her down again.  
His eyes were filled with confusion, pain... he looked so lost...  
_No...._  
He looked so scared.  
_No...._  
Meryl couldn't do anything to stop her cries now, but she tried to muffle it into the ground.  
It didn't help.  
_No...._  
Then someone pointed a gun-barrel to her throat.   
_No...._  
Meryl looked at him, fear clouding her vision as she saw that the man's eyes were empty, and he showed no sign of mercy.  
_No.... no.... no!!_  
Meryl's eyes shut tightly, tears spilling out and over her cheeks as she did so.  
_Is this goodbye? Vash-san._  
The sharp crack of gunfire sounded, and it felt as though time had stopped.  
But it hadn't been the gun pointing at Meryl.  
Meryl's eyes flew open.  
She felt her bruises throb, her temples throb, her heart throb...  
Then, the people suddenly fell apart and down, crumpling to the ground, sticks and guns clattering onto the ground, and revealing the scene behind like a grotesque curtain.  
He was holding his silver gun.  
The gun was smoking at the barrel.  
And the other one was on the ground.  
Blood was pooling.  
_No...!!_  
Meryl thought desperately, blackness beginning to seep into her vision.  
_NO!! VASH-SAN!!!_  
Then the blackness engulfed her entirely.  
  
  



	5. Chapter Four: Scars

  
**Chapter Four: Scars**   
  
Wolfwood awoke to a sweet scent. His eyes were still closed, and he smiled lightly at the sweet smell of ... what was it... caramel and vanilla and cream and toasting sugar and marshmallow... and... no... it was Milly...  
Milly...  
Milly?  
Opening his eyes, he was met with soft-brown hair, lit with the first rays of morning shining through the windows. He grinned into her hair.  
However, Wolfwood knew that as much as he liked the feeling of Milly leaning into him, it would end up awkward if they both woke up in this position.  
He gently moved her so that she leant against the side of the bus, and then let go of her hand. She gave a small noise of discontent before sleeping peacefully again.  
Wolfwood smiled in her direction. He had never felt so happy and content around a girl before. He gave her hand a pat before turning to his right, to see how Vash and Meryl were getting along. The last time they had slept in a bus, Vash had been leaning against the window and Meryl kneeling on her seat with her head buried in her arms on the back of the seat.  
Wolfwood had told Vash off behind Meryl and Milly, saying that wasn't what a man did to a lady. When Vash asked just what was he meant to do then, he had replied  
"Let her lean on you! Geez Vash, it wouldn't hurt!"  
Vash didn't speak to him for most of the journey after that, Wolfwood recalled. His expression had been something Wolfwood had grown accustomed to seeing on Vash's face; the face that clearly stated, 'I don't want to hurt anyone'.   
Which was why Wolfwood nearly fell off his seat in surprise to see Meryl leaning - very slightly, yes, but still leaning - against Vash, whose hand was holding hers. Vash himself was looking out the window, so Wolfwood couldn't see whether he was awake or not.   
Still, the image was so startling, Wolfwood felt his eyes grow considerably big. But then he saw Meryl's sleeping face. Unlike the look of peace on Milly's face, Meryl's held a strange expression of distinct discomfort. Just then, Vash turned his head round and saw Wolfwood goggling at him and Meryl. He raised an eyebrow.  
"What?"  
He asked, keeping his voice down. People around the bus were starting to awaken, and the bus itself was already moving and well on its way, but other people, like Milly and Meryl, were still asleep.   
"You finally got her to loosen up, eh?"  
Wolfwood grinned.   
"You could say that,"  
Vash replied. Wolfwood gestured to Meryl's hand.  
"I guess you were taking good care of her, so she didn't mind so much, eh?"  
Vash didn't say anything at first, but took up Meryl's hand and exposed the gash to Wolfwood, who winced. There was a moment's silence before Vash spoke.  
"She got this one... because of me."  
Vash said quietly.   
"Someone was going to stab me, so she pushed her hand in place of my neck."  
Wolfwood smiled.  
"Well, that's much she likes you. She'd do the same for me."  
'I think', Wolfwood added silently to himself. There was a pause before Vash said,  
"It's going to scar her for a very long time, probably for life."  
Wolfwood shrugged, careful not to disturb Milly whilst doing so.  
"Well, you have plenty of scars on your body. You get them from protecting people and refusing to retaliate. So Meryl got a scar from protecting someone. Like you."  
Vash frowned.  
"But..."  
"Listen, you're just worried she got hurt for you because you're Vash. If it was me she'd been protecting, I wouldn't be fretting over me being the 'culprit' of any inconvenience I may have caused'. I mean, she saved my life. I'd say thank you."  
Something in Vash's eyes lit before he gave a small laugh.  
"Thanks, Wolfwood. I've learnt something new today."  
"No problem, my dear friend. So, Tongari; what's for breakfast?"  
"I don't know. We should ask the insurance girls for that one."  
"Agreed. I'm hungry."  
Wolfwood leaned over to Milly, and set himself to the task of waking her up.  
He was finding it difficult.  
She was too deep asleep for one thing, but she also looked too peaceful.  
Sigh.  
  
Static crackled. The man opened his eyes slowly. He shook himself a little to rid himself of the sand covering him, and smoothed out his clothes, which were still stiff from the sandstorm. Then he raised a hand and adjusted a dial on the device around his neck.  
"It's morning."  
It was a clearly irritated voice.  
"Yes, it's a nice one too-"  
"Shut up and listen to me. Keep following. We've gone too far to lose them now. Don't you dare lose them. If you do, you know what's coming to you, don't you?"  
A shudder ran through the man.  
"Yes, sir."  
"Do you want me to run the plans through you again? Because remember, I want them _alive_--"  
"I know, sir. I think I'll manage."  
"Good. Contact me when you get to stage two."  
"Yes sir. Signing out."  
He turned the device off and then looked towards the bus with a deep scowl on his face.  
"Vash the Stampede... how I hate you."  
He muttered.  
  
  



	6. Chapter Five: The Morning After

  
**Chapter Five: The Morning After**   
  
Vash gently nudged Meryl's shoulder with his arm.  
"Oi. Wake up."  
She mumbled something incoherent, but her eyes remained closed.  
"It's morning. Get up."  
Vash raised his voice a little, but Meryl's brow furrowed and she winced.  
"Uhm..."  
He raised an eyebrow at Wolfwood's direction. Wolfwood looked helplessly back at him. Vash opened his mouth to suggest sleeping a little longer, but his stomach growled in a scary manner.  
Forget it.  
Vash sighed.  
"Right, then. I suppose we better resolve to desperate measures."  
So Vash stood up, and as Meryl began to slump over, Vash went right in front of her and took her shoulders into his grip. He began to shake her, though very gently.  
"Wake up wake up wake up wake up!"  
Her head lolled about as he jostled her, and she wasn't looking much better than she had a minute before.   
Then Vash frowned.   
Was that a tear at her eye?   
Must be a really bad dream, he thought, and he leaned closer to her face to confirm the tear. He had seen the little one cry only once, after all - and that had been from listening about his past.  
His nose was a centimeter from hers when her eyes suddenly flicked open, a few tears spilling down her cheeks as she did so.   
Vash blinked.  
"Oh. Sorry, you weren't wak-"  
He was interrupted by her setting her hand onto his arm and shoving him aside roughly. Vash crashed onto the bus wall as Meryl turned away from him, rubbing at her eyes hurriedly with her sleeve.  
"Shut up!"  
Wolfwood hissed,   
"There are other people still sleeping!!"  
Milly stirred.  
"Then again, if it wakes her up, go ahead."  
Wolfwood said quickly. Vash unstuck himself from the wall, and turned to face Meryl with huge, puppy-sad eyes. Well, face her back, anyways.  
"What was that for?"  
He asked tearfully. She didn't look at him.  
"Uh... well, if you have no reason... what's for breakfast?"  
He asked, his voice turning eager at the question.  
"In the brown sack. Take out anything you need."  
Meryl's voice was extremely stiff. Vash pretended not to take any notice.  
"Seriously? We can take anything?"  
Just the day before Meryl had yelled at him for taking out the donuts without asking her first.   
"Yes."  
She moved out of the way for him to move into the back of the bus, where the some bags were kept.  
"What did I do this time..."  
Vash murmured questioningly to himself as he set about to finding the brown sack.  
  
"Professor. Come in."  
The man waited. After a moment, a voice came in.  
"It's a bit too early for you to have finished your assignment. I suppose you're asking a question?"  
The voice was snappy and annoyed.   
"Sir, I just wanted to tell you that it'll take longer than expected. I just realised that they're probably going to stick together for a while."  
He waited for the professor to answer with a strange smile.  
"So? You want an extension? You were given a week for this."  
"I'd appreciate an extension, sir."  
There was a pause.  
"How long?"  
"A month, professor."  
"A month?? Listen, even I will appreciate an extension just to keep you off me for a while, but I need the subjects soon. Not a month."  
"Sir, I'd really use a month to its cap--"  
"Two weeks. Two. You got it? Remember to keep the subjects alive. And then contact me when you go up to stage two."  
"Yes, sir. Signing out, sir."  
The strange smile turned evil as his hand raised to turn the device off.  
"I just... want to have a little fun with you, Vash the Stampede. You won't mind, will you?"  
He laughed bitterly as he added,  
"What was the point of asking? You have no choice."  
  
  



	7. Chapter Six: Black Coffee

  
**Chapter Six: Black Coffee**   
  
"Why is she ignoring you, Tongari?"  
Wolfwood asked.  
The four were in the main square of Cendre, a small town the bus had arrived in. The two men were waiting for the insurance girls to return to the table they were sitting at outside, carrying their order of pudding, black coffee and donuts.  
"Don't know what you're talking about,"  
Vash replied.   
"Of course you do."  
"Well, I don't know of anyone who's been ignoring me and I don't know who 'she' is."  
Wolfwood scowled.  
"Don't play dumbass with me. You know I'm talking about the little insurance girl."  
"What about her?"  
"Why is she ignoring you?"  
Vash was silent for a few moments.  
"I... I don't know why she's ignoring me,"  
Vash finally admitted. Meryl really had been ignoring him since breakfast, in which she had civilly asked for a donut.  
"Well, it sure makes a difference to the trip. She's talking to me more than she talks to you. Actually, she hasn't hit you in more 12 hours. Pretty amazing, if you ask me."  
There was a pause.  
"Did something happen? I mean, it's pretty weird for me to care, but she's a travelling companion, and I feel inclined to worry."  
Maybe I should call her a friend, Wolfwood thought.  
Vash sighed.  
"I don't know. But I think she was having a bad dream."  
Wolfwood thought back for a few seconds before nodding.  
"Yeah, that's true. She looked really distressed over something in her sleep this morning."  
He shook her head.  
"I wonder if she'll ever truly loosen up. This morning I thought you succeeded, but I guess something else wired her up."  
Wolfwood scratched his head.  
"Wonder what kind of dream she had. Probably something about you."  
Vash privately agreed, but didn't voice it. Instead he said,  
"How can you be so sure?"  
"Well, she's talked to me, she's talked to Milly, but she hasn't talked to you. That's one thing."  
Wolfwood suddenly stopped short when he realised he'd said Milly's name infront of Vash for the first time. He glanced at him quickly. Vash didn't seem to react much, so Wolfwood relaxed.  
Phew.   
"You called the big one Milly."  
Vash grinned.  
Damn him.  
"So? It's her name."  
"I've never heard you call her Milly."  
"Well, now you have."  
"Wolfwood, is that a pink tinge I see on your cheeks?"  
"You--"  
"Mr. Priest! Vash-san! We got the food!"  
They both turned to see Milly happily bouncing her way through to their table. She dumped the donuts onto the table.  
Wolfwood silently thanked her, and tried to communicate his gratefulness with a smile.   
"Sempai says you both owe her 7.50 double dollars each."  
Smile vanishing, Wolfwood shifted uneasily in his seat.  
"But I'm broke..."  
He whined. Milly patted his arm sympathetically.  
"I'm sure sempai will understand."  
"What will I understand?"  
Meryl emerged with the coffee and pudding. She set a cup of black coffee in front of Wolfwood, and then handed the pudding to Milly who dug in happily before sitting down herself.  
"I'm broke."  
Wolfwood announced. Meryl rolled her eyes.  
"You sound proud of it."  
"Hey, I'll earn some soon. For now I'd appreciate it if you let me just... well... not pay back the 7.50 double dollars."  
Meryl sighed.  
"You can pay me back later."  
Wolfwood sighed in relief.  
"Thanks. Don't ask me when 'later' will be, though."  
"I won't."  
Meryl answered before sipping her coffee.  
"Then if you don't mind, I won't pay back either."  
Vash said, grinning. Meryl choked on her coffee, and pressed her palm to her mouth.  
"Oww, I burnt my tongue."  
She muttered. Milly handed her a napkin with a sympathetic look. Meryl wiped at the coffee she had spilt on her chin.  
"Thank you, Milly."  
"Sempai, you shouldn't rush drinking hot drinks like that."  
"I know, I know. I should be more careful..."  
Wolfwood glanced at Vash. Vash looked slightly confused, but he covered it up quickly with another of his smiles.  
His _empty_ smiles, Wolfwood thought.  
"So where to next, girls?"  
Vash addressed them. Milly smiled.  
"Well, that depends on you, Vash-san. It depends on where you want to know next. Sempai and I are only following you."  
Vash tapped a finger to his chin in an act of thoughtfulness.   
"How about ... Decembre?"  
Wolfwood snapped to attention, spilling hot coffee over his hand.   
"AAAIIIEEE!!"  
He yelped, and Milly handed over five or six napkins with a worried look.  
"Mr. Priest, you're just like sempai! Be careful around hot drinks!"  
"Okay, okay, I will..."  
Then he groaned.  
"Ugh, I spilt it onto my cuff..."  
Milly leaned over, dabbing at his hand with a napkin. The priest looked into her eyes as she leaned closer. Her eyes will filled with genuine worry, he could see that.   
"You really should be careful, Mr. Priest, last time my middle-elder-brother burnt his leg while carrying hot soup. Sempai also burnt her thumb last time she was holding hot lemon tea - it went right onto her thumb. That was the first time I heard her scream! And the other time..."  
Meryl visibly stiffened at the word 'scream'. She cupped her coffee with her hands and looked into the cup with a strange expression. Vash saw this, and wondered just what Meryl was so worried about that was so bad that she wouldn't talk to him.  
Wolfwood was very, very close to Milly. He glanced over to Vash, who was looking at Meryl in a peculiar way, and then to Meryl, who was looking at her coffee in a peculiar way. He quickly leaned over and sneaked a kiss, right onto Milly's lips.  
Milly jerked back in surprise. Wolfwood managed to snag the coffee before it was knocked over by Milly, who straightened herself and looked shocked, staring at Wolfwood.  
"B-b--b-b-b--"  
She blubbered. Wolfwood innocently blinked and smiled.  
He liked how she was cute in this sense - her reaction had been expected.  
"Is something wrong?"  
Meryl looked at Milly in surprise. She hadn't seen Milly look so flustered since the first time Wolfwood had leaned into her on their first bus-trip.  
"B-b--black!"  
Vash, Wolfwood and Meryl all looked at Milly in bewilderment.  
There was a long pause.  
"What do you mean?"  
Meryl finally asked.  
"B-Black! Black coffee!"  
Then Wolfwood realised that was probably what he'd just tasted like, having just had drunken it before kissing her. He hid his blush quickly by swallowing a few more gulps of the black coffee, and then wiping his mouth before grinning at her.  
"Yup, just about the greatest drink on this planet."  
Milly stared at him, then at Meryl.   
At the sight of Meryl she seemed to calm down, and Milly seemed more like herself now. Settling down onto her seat, she took a big spoonful of pudding, and a look of complete bliss passed by her face.  
  
  



	8. Chapter Seven: No Bliss

  
**Chapter Seven: No Bliss**   
  
"You know, you could stand to have a face like that once in a while."  
Vash commented to Meryl. She didn't even look at him; just shrugged.  
"C'mon. I've never seen you completely happy since I met you."  
She gave the smallest of glances towards him, but Vash still caught it. He thought he saw pain.  
Pain?  
"Speak for yourself."  
She muttered.  
"What?"  
"Nothing."  
"No, really - what did you s-"  
"Wolfwood-san, you seemed quite elated when it was mentioned that we might be heading for Decembre next."  
Vash blinked. Did Meryl just deliberately interrupt him?  
"Hey, answer m-"  
"You want to see your orphans, right?"  
Yup.  
She had.  
And she'd just done it again.  
"Yeah, well..."  
A look of fondness came upon Wolfwood's face.  
"I do miss them a lot... it'd be nice to see them sometime soon..."  
Vash grinned.  
"Then it's Decembre next we go! Alright, girls?"  
Milly held her spoon up.  
"Hai--!"  
She went back to her pudding. Meryl had absolutely no reaction whatsoever. This was really starting to bug Vash - not a lot of people ignored Vash, anyhow.  
After a few minutes of mindless girl to girl and guy to guy chitchat, Meryl stood up from her chair.  
"Hey, I'm going to book the inn we're staying in."  
Milly stood up as well.  
"I'll go with you, sempai."  
Meryl smiled appreciatively.  
"Thanks. Oh yeah, I almost forgot."  
She dug a hand into her bag before handing Wolfwood several bills.  
"That's around fifty double dollars. Could you buy dinner and tomorrow's breakfast?"  
"Huh?"  
Wolfwood took a moment to realise that she was talking to him, simply because Vash was closer to her. He reached over and took the double dollars from her.  
"Oh okay. What do you want?"  
"Just buy something to eat."  
"Pudding!"  
Milly sang.  
"Okay."  
Wolfwood agreed, putting the stash of money into his pocket.  
"Hey Tongari. Let's go to the grocery store."  
Vash stood up, his elbow knocking against Meryls. She didn't react, but Vash said,  
"Whoops. Sorry,"  
anyways. He walked over towards the grocery.  
"See ya girls!"  
He waved. The insurance girls headed towards the Cendre inn, Milly waving back, but Meryl looking dead ahead.  
  
He stood at the top of a grocery store, hidden behind the ledge of the roof.  
The man glared at the group. He had been right; they were stuck together like glue.  
The girls and guys split up, but he could see that the big girl could serve to be a problem.  
"Dammit... I need them separate."  
He closed his eyes, then let a smile spread across his face.  
"I'll just attack tomorrow, then."  
His serene smile became twisted as he spotted his main target enter the store.  
"Just wait and see, you bastard. You'll pay."  
  
  



	9. Chapter Eight: Guilt

  
**Chapter Eight: Guilt**   
  
Just when Vash entered the grocery store, he found himself being pulled out of it. He turned to see Wolfwood, who winked and dragged him away from the store and the disappointed-looking store-owner.  
"What's wrong?"  
Vash asked, his voice demanding. Wolfwood continued to drag him through the Cendre square.  
"We're going to eavesdrop on the girls."  
"What?? Why??"  
Vash tried to twist his arm out of Wolfwood's grip, but failed to do so as Wolfwood tightened his grip to a painful extent.  
"Owowowowow let goooooooooo--"  
"Shut up!! We're going to find out just what it is that's making the smaller girl ignore you!"  
But Vash's face was so obviously in pain that Wolfwood let himself loosen his grip on him.   
"What makes you so sure they'll talk about me?"  
Vash asked, finally managing to pull himself out of Wolfwood's grasp.  
"Well, you know the big girl. She'll ask the little one about it. I mean, it was pretty obvious that she was ignoring you on purpose."  
Wolfwood grabbed Vash again to keep the pace going.  
"But I don't think--"  
Vash began, attempting to karate chop Wolfwood around the arm. Wolfwood dodged and gave a quick chop to Vash's head.  
"Quit whining. I'm just as curious as you are to know why. She was downright mean to you just now."  
Vash racked his brain for something to say to avoid listening in on the girls, but found that he sort of did want to know why he was being ignored so completely.  
"Okay."  
He mumbled, rubbing his head where Wolfwood had whacked him.  
Together they followed the girls, and when they entered the inn, they waited.  
"Why the hell am I doing this?"  
Vash asked Wolfwood.  
"Because she's your friend."  
Wolfwood replied.  
"You just want to see if the big girl says anything about you to her."  
Vash muttered.  
"That's partially true."  
Wolfwood clapped a hand to his mouth as Vash stared at him.  
"A-a-are you serious?"  
Vash said, a mean smile spreading across his face. Wolfwood chose not to reply, and instead said,  
"I think they're in their room now. Let's go."  
They walked into the inn, and walked up to the counter.  
"Excuse us... where is Vash the Stampede staying at?"  
Wolfwood asked.  
"I'm forbidden to give any room numbers away, gentlemen."  
The lady said, brushing a comb through her hair as she chewed gum.  
"A big and small girl booked rooms for us."  
Wolfwood said pointedly. The lady's eyes widened. Her jaw dropped open as her eyes fell onto Vash the Stampede. They could see her gum. It took her a few seconds before she could say anything.  
"203. Just around the corner on the second floor. I gave the keys to the girls,"  
She said quickly. She resumed chewing her gum as they stepped back from the counter, and picked up her brush again.  
"Thank you."  
Vash said, and they went up to the second floor. They heard the girls' voices as they went up the room 202, and stopped there. The girls didn't seem to have heard them, and they were talking outside of room 204 - 203 being just around the corner, as the lady had said, and the girls obviously taking the room next to it.  
Finally close enough to be of earshot, they kept themselves well out of sight and listened.  
"...haven't been yourself today, sempai."  
Wolfwood and Vash exchanged glances at the seemingly perfect timing. They heard Meryl sigh.  
"I know. I'm sorry... I guess I'm just a little occupied."  
"Why?"  
Yes, why? Both men thought.  
"I... had a really bad dream last night."  
Yup. They'd both surmised as much.  
"Was it about Vash-san?"  
She was so straight-forward. Wolfwood felt a smile lift a corner of his mouth as he thought about that.  
  
"It... it was. About him."  
There was a small pause.  
"What was it about?"  
Milly asked tentatively. Meryl bit her lip, then quickly let go of her lip at the unpleasant memory.  
"Sempai...?"  
Milly prompted.   
"Remember that day when..."  
Meryl could feel tears gather in her eyes. She quickly rubbed an arm over it before continuuing.  
"...when Vash-san shot that man?"  
Milly nodded.  
"I dreamt about the time when we were there. Remember? There were men there. They were hurting us."  
Milly sighed.  
"Sempai... if this is about you making Vash-san kill that man..."  
"Yes Milly, don't worry. I remember what you told me - there's nothing wrong with following our heart."  
Meryl looked at her friend with a grateful smile.  
"I still thank you for those words of wisdom. But Milly... what I dreamt of last night... it brought back the time when we were being tortured."  
Meryl felt the tears well up in her eyes again. She brought the back of her hand to rub at her left eye, where a tear threatened to stain her cheek.  
"I tried not to cry out, Milly. I tried so hard. But I ended up crying out. He heard me... and he shot him."  
Forget it, Meryl thought, and let the tears fall freely. She wiped her tears with her left hand, but still more fell.  
"I mean... he's saved our lives so many times. But I've never done anything for him. I've never been able to..."  
She leant against the door of 204, looking down to try to hide most of her tears. It was pointless though; they fell to the ground in wet splashes.  
"I never got to say sorry."  
Meryl whispered. Milly shook her head violently.  
"Sempai! You've done as much for him as he's done for you, I'm sure of it!"  
Meryl looked up, her eyes shining with unshed tears.  
"Milly, I somehow can't explain this to you... but I just feel so bad. I can't even look at him in the face now. I feel this strange guilt... this guilt that I said that he had no other choice instead of saying sorry. And I had so many chances alone with him! When I bandaged his wounds after that, when I sat next him on the cliff, when we both went to buy donuts that day you found Wolfwood-san... I never even remembered the incident."  
She pressed her palms to her eyes, letting out a sob.  
"Dammit Milly, I can't stop the guilt! I feel that I need to say something to him; something that acknowledges the fact that I'm sorry for crying out that day. But--"  
There was a sudden scuffling noise, followed by a crash. The girls whirled around to see Wolfwood on top of Vash, lying crumpled on the floor. They picked themselves up hastily, and there was a long, awkward silence in which everyone seemed to be looking at Meryl.  
Then Wolfwood gave a brilliant smile.  
"Come on, let's go to the grocery's, big girl!"  
He placed his hands onto her shoulders, then steered her away from Meryl.  
"Eh? Eh? Ano..."  
"I'll buy you caramel pudding?"  
Milly looked back with a worried expression to Meryl, then saw Vash. She gave Meryl an encouraging smile before looking back at Wolfwood.  
"Honto ni?"  
"Yup. Let's go..."  
He lightly pushed her in front of him, down the stairs and out of the inn, towards the grocery's.   
  
  



	10. Chapter Nine: Truth of Mistake

  
**Chapter Nine: Truth of Mistake**   
  
Meryl wiped her tears, and stared down at her boots. Vash slowly walked up to her, and stood in front of her. She leaned even more into the door.  
She finally spoke.  
"Were you listening the whole time?"  
She whispered. Vash gave an apologetic grin as he pressed a hand in an embarrassed fashion to his head.  
"Yeah... but it was Wolfwood's idea! Don't blame me."  
Meryl squeezed her eyes shut, feeling a few more tears surface and spill over.   
Courage, Meryl, courage, she thought.  
She suddenly snapped her head up, her eyes opening to look at Vash straight on.  
"I'm sorry!!"  
She blurted out.  
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I pretended all this time that it wasn't my fault when it was! I'm sorry I cried out."  
Tears brimmed and spilled over, but she didn't break eye-contact.  
"I know when you shot that man, it was because of us screaming. Milly hasn't felt pain too often, so you can't blame her. But I have, I've experienced that kind of thing once or twice."  
She brushed at her tear-stained cheeks roughly before continuuing.  
"But I still cried out. I still screamed. You heard me, didn't you? It was because of us-- no, me. I should have kept it in. Vash-san, I'm sorry I didn't. I ... I..."  
What was she trying to say? She tried to sort herself out, and closed her eyes tightly. She raised her right hand to press a palm to her dampened cheek, to relieve herself of the emotions she was trying so hard to keep from surfacing.  
Vash took her hand into his, and took a firm grip onto it.  
"Open your eyes."  
He said. She reluctantly opened her eyes, and looked into his aqua ones.  
The eyes she had been looking into just now had been shielded from any emotion, but now, Meryl saw depth. He took her hand, spread her fingers using his and exposed the palm before showing the vertically forming scar to her.   
"What do you see?"  
Meryl blinked in confusion.  
"What?"  
"Tell me what you see."  
"I-I...I see my hand."  
"What do you see on your hand?"  
His voice was calm and collected. Meryl felt the opposite, but managed to keep some of her composure to respond.  
"There's... a cut."  
"Not a cut."  
Meryl swallowed.  
"Okay... a gash. It's a gash. So?"  
"Tell me how you got that gash."  
Meryl glanced away.  
"Uh, someone stabbed it."  
"Who?"  
"Yesterday. That group of bandits that attacked the bus. One of them stabbed my hand."  
Vash tightened his grip on her wrist.  
"Don't look away. Tell me how you got it."  
Meryl bit her lip, despite the memories it brought up, and looked at him, and the gash he was showing her.   
"It's not a serious gash,"  
She said.  
"Don't change the subject."  
Damn it, he's serious, Meryl thought.  
"Okay. Someone tried to attack you, so I shoved my hand in the way."  
She said truthfully, trying her best to sound off-handed.  
Vash leaned down, and released her wrist so he could look at her right in the eye. She shifted a little; he was too close for comfort. But she returned eye-contact, and saw that his eyes carried that strange depth again.   
"Listen to me. That day I shot Legato, it is true that perhaps I could have not. But thinking back, I think I needed to have shot Legato. Because if I didn't, I would've never realised the truth of mistake."  
Meryl raised an eyebrow in question.  
"Truth of mistake?"  
"Yeah. You see, the truth of mistake lies in the fact that you learn from your mistakes."  
He smiled.  
"I never would've learnt that if it wasn't for you. Okay? I may have saved your life several times, but you've saved mine in a way I think you need to understand.  
"I was once told by someone I loved that killing is not the answer. However, the same person told me that if I truly want to understand something, I must learn from it.   
"Killing Legato was not the answer, but it should have taught me of my mistake. However, I didn't accept that mistake, and I might have never been able to if you hadn't told that man not to shoot."  
Meryl blinked again.  
"If I hadn't accepted my mistake, I would've never been able to carry on with life. So you saved my life. You've also saved my life physically a number of times. The time with the lousy sheriff, the time in the sandsteamer... and yesterday."  
His hand found hers below, and he held it, gently pressing his thumb to the gash.  
"This scar is the proof of that. We're equal. You have nothing to be sorry about."  
He laughed lightly.  
"I forgot to thank you. Thanks for saving my butt again yesterday."  
Meryl felt her cheeks warm. He leaned in even closer, causing her blush to deepen as he looked at her incredulously.  
"Are you _blushing_??"  
She snatched her hand away from his and ducked around him.  
"N-n-no! No! Of course not."  
She found that she couldn't look at him now for an entirely different reason.  
She heard Vash laugh again. Meryl sucked in her breath, feeling her blush fade. She rubbed at her tear-stained cheeks. She might as well say thank you since he had.  
"You've saved all of our lives many times, not only me. So thank _you_, Vash-san."  
He let out a very different laugh now - a very obnoxious one. Meryl turned to see him with his nose in the air, laughing his head off.  
"NYAH--haahaahahaha! Of course! I save lives all the time - it's a profession!"  
Meryl rolled her eyes.  
Typically Vash, nonetheless.  
"Hai, hai, Vash-san. Here."  
She tossed the keys of 203 to him, and then fumbled around her cloak pockets for 204. Then she remembered with a groan.  
"Oh dammit! Milly has the keys."  
Vash inserted the key to 203, twisted and pushed the door open.  
"Come in here until they come back then."  
He said logically.  
"Uhm... well..."  
Meryl lingered outside for a moment as he walked in before walking in after him.  
She had to stop being afraid.  
  
  



	11. Chapter Ten: Eden

  
**Chapter Ten: Eden**   
  
"Thank you for holding most of the things we bought, Mr. Priest."  
Milly said, a bounce in her step as she and Wolfwood walked up the stairs.  
"Well, anything for you."  
He said, stumbling over the last step to the second floor, but managing not to drop anything.   
A pleasant sort of blush coloured Milly as they walked towards room number 204.  
"You're very nice, Mr. Priest."  
She said with a sweet smile. Wolfwood sighed.  
"Nothing compared to you,"  
He replied,  
"but enough of the compliments. Where are we eating?"  
Milly thought for a second.  
"Probably in in room 203. You can go into your room first."  
They rounded the corner, and Wolfwood held the vast amounts of food still while Milly knocked on the door to 203.   
"Sempai-! It's Milly, open the door please!"  
Complete silence.  
"Maybe Vash and her took it outside,"  
Wolfwood suggested. Milly gave a worried glance at the door to 203 before searching her pockets for the keys, so they could put the groceries down.  
Then Milly realised that _she_ had the keys, so Meryl couldn't be in room 203 in first place.  
'Oh well. I guess they did take it outside.'  
Wolfwood's arms were starting to ache when Milly exclaimed,  
"Found it!"  
Milly was about to open the door to 203 when a Vashy "YAARRRGGGHHH-----!!!!" was heard, followed immediately by a very Meryl "Vash-san!!", punctuated with several crashes and clangings.   
Milly and Wolfwood blinked and exchanged surprised looks. The noises had come from 204.   
Milly smiled, all signs of worry disappearing.  
"They made up, then! That's good."  
Wolfwood was glad, too.  
He and Milly had even eaten a cup of caramel pudding each downstairs just to give Vash and Meryl some time to clear matters up, and Wolfwood was glad he'd bothered.  
"The door's probably open. We should probably go in."  
He handed a bag of groceries to Milly, who took it with a understanding expression.  
"I'm sorry; was it really heavy?"  
Wolfwood grinned.  
"Not too heavy. But if I carried both bags, I wouldn't be able to do this."  
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips again, only this time it was longer. He leant back to see Milly looking shyly back, and she began stuttering again.  
"C-c-c-"  
"Caramel pudding,"  
Wolfwood finished for her.  
"Let's go in now."  
He pushed the door open.  
  
"Heyyy, these beds are much nicer than the last beds we spent the night in!"  
Vash pounced onto a bed, rubbing a cheek against the smooth blanket material with a look a bliss on his face.  
"I like comfy beds! Don't you?"  
"To some extent, I do, I guess."  
Meryl sighed as she pulled out a chair from the wooden table that stood from the bed and sat down in it. Then she did a double-take.  
"This table's made out of wood?!"  
She ran a hand over the surface of the wood in awe.  
"Wow... and this inn's not even that expensive."  
Vash looked at Meryl upside-down from his position of lying flat out on his bed.  
"It's probably because geoplant veins run under this area."  
Meryl looked at the well-crafted table.  
"Like the time we met that old couple? You know, who owned that piece of forest-like land?"  
"Yeah."  
Meryl stretched out onto the table, looking at Vash who was lying on his back on the bed.  
"It'd be nice if geoplants ran everywhere."  
She commented.  
"I agree. But it's kind of high maintenance requiring, and it costs more than this planet alone. At least we have ships."  
"True."  
She rested a chin onto her arms, brooding.  
"It's amazing that this planet has lived uptil now. I guess it's because we all want to live."  
Vash flipped himself round and onto his stomach, and pulled at loose threads from the sheets below the silky material.  
"Have you ever wondered why people bother living?"  
Vash asked. Meryl nodded.  
"I guess human nature is just stubborn. We want to live."  
"Yeah... but have you ever wondered specifically _why_?"  
"Sure I have. People on this planet know that this planet sucks. But we try to make the most of it... make it better to live in, make it like the Earth we sometimes hear of. But it's not for us; it's for those who will live in future generations."  
Meryl tilted her head slightly to one side.  
"To put it into terms like that... it comes to this. We've heard of stories of Earth, with its green hills and rolling green pastures. But there are stories of Earth being of war, hunger and suffering. I guess that now that we're on a new planet...  
"We're forced to start over again. But since Earth chose seemingly the wrong choices, the wrong paths... we were given another chance. We're making what we hope are the right choices, taking what we hope to be the right paths...  
"And I guess we hope to end with those green hills and pastures. But it won't have any violence or conflict. And eventually, we'll end up what we were meant to have in our first try..."  
There was a sudden pause.  
Meryl had just realised that she was sharing thoughts with Vash that she'd never expressed or shared with anyone.  
Vash had just realised that he was having a conversation about life with Meryl; it was the first one he'd had about life in depth since Rem.  
After a few moments of the contemplative silence, Meryl spoke.  
"Eden."  
Meryl said simply. Vash was visibly shocked by the word, and fell off the bed.  
"Eh?? Vash-san, are you alright?"  
She stood up and ventured towards him. He fumbled around the silky covers that had fallen off with him before managing to stand up himself.  
He laughed a little awkwardly, still shaken by what Meryl had just so plainly stated.  
"I think I'll go take a shower."  
He said, and attempted to walk. Instead, he tripped over the covers at his feet, tumbling into the suitcases Meryl had put at the foot of the bed.  
"YAARRRGGGHHH-----!!!!"  
He let out a strangled cross between a yelp and a scream.  
"Vash-san!!"  
Meryl exclaimed, half in exasperation and half in concern. However, being at the foot of the bed as well, Vash's arm caught Meryl around the waist, and together they crashed into the chair.  
Meryl rubbed the side of her head as he tried to relieve herself of the pain of knocking it against something(had it been the chair?), and found herself on top of him.  
Well, sort of.  
As in, she was sort of sprawled on top of him, and he was wincing as he rubbed the back of his head, propped up on his other elbow.   
Meryl picked herself up quickly; feeling his heartbeat near hers was not something she was used to at all.   
He laughed after she got up, remaining on the floor.  
"Sorry, I didn't think I'd trip!"  
"Well, you did. And you brought me down with you!"  
"Hey, hey... sorry about that."  
He gave her an apologetic grin. Then it turned into a mischievous one.  
"You should apologise, too."  
Meryl raised an eyebrow.  
"Why?"  
"Because although you _look_ light, you sure are heavy!"  
A vein twitched dangerously in Meryl's temple.  
"Say that again?"  
"Why not? It's just the truth. I said although you _look_ light, you-"   
Meryl didn't let him finish - she lunged at him.  
"YOU MORON!!!"  
She yelled, and proceeded to beat him up as Wolfwood opened the door.   
"Help meeee--!!"  
Came Vash's plea as he tried to block Meryl's blows with his arms. Milly quickly went over and picked off Meryl, who tried to get away from her so she could still hit him.  
"Milly, let go of me! Do you even _know_ what that git said?!!"  
"Sempai, calm down!!"  
Wolfwood bent down to pick up the bag Milly had recklessly dropped onto the floor, shaking his head but laughing.  
"Looks like things are back to normal again."  
He mused.  
  
He looked at the Cendre inn, a bitter laugh escaping from his lips.  
"Sleep well, Vash the Stampede."  
Amber coloured eyes hardened.  
"You'll need it."  
  
  



	12. Chapter Eleven: Violet Grey

  
**Chapter Eleven: Violet Grey**   
  
_ "Vash."  
Vash opened his eyes. He sat up, and saw the blue around him, streaked with white. Rose petals whirled about the sky.  
"Here, Vash. I'm over here."  
The voice that had called him seemed distant. He looked up and saw her in the distance.  
Her back was to him, and he could not see her face.  
Her laugh echoed around.   
Vash got up, and began to walk towards her. She laughed again, her back still to him.  
Her laugh was sad.  
He wanted to run, but he couldn't; something kept him back.  
"Vash?"  
"Yes?"  
He said, finding each step he was taking increasingly difficult.  
Her voice turned anxious.  
"Vash, please, hurry..."  
"I'm trying."  
He gasped.  
"Please, hurry... for if you're too late, you'll never get it back."  
Her voice turned desperate as he tried to hurry, but just slogged towards her.  
"Oh please, Vash. Promise me. Promise me you won't be afraid."  
"Afraid of what?"  
He asked, feeling as though he was running through water.  
"You're more afraid than she is."  
The rose petals ceased. The sky became perfectly clear. Vash stumbled as the invisible force that had been pushing him back stopped suddenly.   
He was panting from just the effort of coming up till here.  
He couldn't touch her, though. He stretched his arm out as far as it would go, but it wasn't far enough.  
She turned around.  
Violet grey eyes looked back at him.  
Her laugh echoed, but it was a much more different laugh than the first.   
She extended a hand, exposing a vertical scar at the back of it.  
Their fingertips were millimeters from touching.  
His eyes widened.  
It was Meryl.  
_   
"HUH?!!"  
An extremely confused Vash bolted upright from his sleep, waking up Wolfwood who was on the bed across him.  
"Whasth wr-wr-wrong?"  
Wolfwood asked sleepily, yawning. Vash blinked.  
"Sorry. Nightmare. Go back to sleep."  
"You sound wide-awake. What did you dream about?"  
Wolfwood sounded much more alive now, although he still sounded a little tired.  
"Just something weird."  
Wolfwood rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he spoke.  
"I get that all the time. Need the confessional?"  
Vash got out of bed to stretch.  
"Nah, it's okay. Hey, did you get any eggs yesterday?"  
"Yeah. Look on the table."  
He laughed.  
"Why do you suddenly feel like eating eggs?"  
Vash went over to the table and got out an egg, then went to the cabinet and pulled out a frying pan.  
"Where'd the frying pan come from?"  
Wolfwood asked.  
"The inn provides."  
But he didn't go to the stove to cook it, he went to a more wider space near the foot of the bed, and set the frying pan onto the floor.  
"What the hell are you doing?"  
"In case I fail."  
And so Vash began his daily routine training system. He balanced the egg onto his gun, and swiftly removed the gun, then flitted it back into position. The egg stayed in the same spot in the air as Vash continually balanced the egg perfectly but also kept it there while moving his gun away and back.  
"Wow."  
said Wolfwood, but Vash was now thinking of other things.  
First he tried to forget the dream, but found that he kept thinking of it.  
So he tried to understand the dream.  
What had happened in it?  
She had laughed, but it had sounded so sad.  
So he'd tried to go to her.  
But it'd been difficult, he recalled.  
And then she told him to hurry...  
Or else... he'd lose something forever? Was it?  
Then the rose petals stopped.  
And he was reaching out for her, but when she'd turned around...  
It wasn't her anymore.  
Violet grey...  
It'd been--  
"Watch it Tongari!"  
"Ahck!!"'  
Splat.  
"Whoops."  
"At least you didn't miss the pan."  
  
He ran a hand through his hair, grinning manically.  
"It happens today, Vash the Stampede."  
He pointed a finger to a small, short-haired girl by the window of room 204.  
"She goes, today."  
He pulled an imaginary trigger.  
"Bang!"  
He laughed out loud.  
"Sorry, Vash the Stampede. When I get over-excited, I don't act like my usual self."  
He stood up.   
It would soon be time.  
  
  



	13. Chapter Twelve: Cry Out

  
**Chapter Twelve: Cry Out**   
  
The windows rattled, and Meryl grimaced as she spilt her coffee over herself.  
Cursing, she went over to the window and her eyes widened.  
"Milly! Milly!"  
Milly ran out of the bathroom with her toothbrush still in her mouth.  
"Yesh? Shembhai?" (Yes? Sempai?)  
"Look out the window! Do you see what I see?"  
Milly ran over and looked outside to see smoke billowing out of a pile of debris - the debris being what used to be a building. People below were shouting and running. It was turning chaotic.  
"Gyaaahhhhh! Shembhai!!" (Oh no a building just exploded! Sempai!!)  
"Yes, Milly, I know. But you know what else this means?"  
Milly nodded.  
"Vwashi-shan." (Vash-san.)  
Meryl grabbed her cloak of derringers, then realised she'd forgotten to reload them since the bandit-bus incident. She'd been planning to reload yesterday, but they'd eaten dinner at the guys' place, and she conveniently forgot.  
"Milly, spit out your toothpaste. I'll go see how Vash-san is reacting to all this."  
She put a single, loaded derringer into her pocket and left the cloak behind. Then she opened the door and closed the door behind her before heading out towards 203.  
Meryl put a hand onto the doorknob of 203 when another hand knocked it out of the way.  
"What the-"  
A sudden strip of cloth was flung over her mouth and it gagged her tightly. Meryl tried to yell for help, but she couldn't for the gag.  
Strong arms gripped her arms and pulled them back behind her painfully.  
Struggling, she sucked in breath, and realised the cloth was soaked with some strange liquid. Whatever it was, it was sickeningly sweet.  
It made her feel nauseated and dizzy.   
She felt her eyes begin to close as she slumped against something - or was it someone? - behind her.   
And so she fell unconcious.  
  
Vash stared out of the window in disbelief.  
"Wolfwood! A building just exploded!"  
Wolfwood looked up from his breakfast in alarm.  
"Was anyone hurt?"  
"I don't know!"  
Vash had just finished changing into his trademark red coat, with all the buckles inside.  
"I'm going down to check it out!"  
He grabbed his gun off the table and stuffed it into its gun-sheath, and began to run towards the door.  
"Wait!"  
Vash turned, and Wolfwood tossed him a donut. He caught it with his mouth.  
"Fanksh!" (Thanks. A/N: This is fun. ^^)  
"Wait a minute for me, will you?"  
"Okay, but quick."  
Wolfwood finished his coffee and ran over to his cross, and slung it behind him.  
"Let's go!"  
Vash went up to the door, and set his hand onto the doorknob.  
BANG.  
"Aah! Gomen nasai, Vash-san!"  
Milly had just pushed the door open, and Vash had felt the full force of the door.  
He crouched on the floor, his head in his hands.  
"Er... it's okay."  
Milly looked around.  
"Where's sempai?"  
"She's with you, isn't she?"  
Wolfwood raised an eyebrow.  
"Well, she went out to either stop or help Vash-san."  
Vash stood up, stepping out of the door.  
"Well, she didn't come in here."  
Milly sighed.  
"I guess sempai went downstairs to investigate."  
"Let's all go to investigate."  
They all went outside and to the stairs.  
  
When Meryl came to, she was in the back-staircase of Cendre inn.   
She opened her eyes groggily to meet amber ones. She inhaled sharply, backing away from the man.  
Her arms were tied behind her back by the wrists with coarse rope.  
"You're awake. Good."  
The man's voice chilled her.  
He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt.  
"You're going to scream. You're going to scream for him."  
She frowned.  
"What?!"  
"I said, you're going to scream for Vash the Stampede. Do it."  
Meryl remained silent. She knew this was probably another bounty hunter; another weirdo after Vash.   
"Do it _now._"  
When she didn't respond, the man let out a growl and pulled out a whip.   
He straightened the whip and pushed it up close to Meryl's eyes.  
"Can you see these tiny little hooks? This is my special whip. It burns like hell."  
He pressed it against her neck, and grazed it.  
Meryl bit her lip quickly. It really did feel as though it were burning her.  
The man leant right over and hissed into her ear.  
"Scream. Scream, damn it. Call out for him."  
Meryl stubbornly remained silent.  
He kicked her aside, and she skid across the stairway platform.  
The man pulled out his whip, and began to strike her, again and again.  
Meryl felt her shirt tear at the side, and her leggings tear at the calf and thighs.  
She remembered the feeling.  
And her determination to not cry out set.  
"Damn it! Why the hell are you so stubborn? I just want you to call out to him! Bring him here!"  
Meryl finally managed to get out of her ropes, and grabbed her derringer.  
"I'm not going to!"  
She pointed the derringer to his knee, and pulled the trigger.  
Meryl's eyes widened in the silence that followed.  
Nothing happened.  
He began to laugh quite hard.  
"Little girl, you didn't think I'd seriously leave that gun loaded?"  
Her face fell to one of despair as he grabbed the derringer from her and threw it down the stairs.  
He kicked her aside again, still laughing.  
"Just scream, girl. Just scream his name."  
She shook her head.  
"You know, you're just making it worse for him."  
He suddenly grinned.  
"Oh, sudden inspiration. You'll be more useful hurt."  
He straightened his whip out again.  
  
  



	14. Chapter Thirteen: Pain

  
**Chapter Thirteen: Pain**   
  
"It's pretty terrible, actually."  
The balding man scratched his head.  
"We thought it was Vash the Stampede. He's in this town, you know."  
"Oh really?"  
asked Vash.  
"Yeah. But there's this lady who works at the inn. She says he hasn't left it."  
Aa, the gum girl, thought Vash.  
"Have any idea on injury?"  
"Well, I don't think anyone was severely hurt. It's too early in the mornin' for many people to have been in there. Maybe a few people got hurt. I just hope no one died."  
"Me too, mister. Any idea how it happened?"  
The old man looked at the still smoking rubble with a frown.  
"Yeah, well... some weird grenade kinda lookin' thing apparently flew in. Blew up after a few seconds. An eyewitness said so, anyways."  
Vash nodded.  
"So it was a deliberate attack."  
"Looks like it."  
"Thanks, mister."  
Vash went back to Cendre square where Milly and Wolfwood were waiting for him.  
"Any ideas?"  
Vash asked. The other two shook their heads. Milly spoke worriedly.  
"Vash-san... I know the building is one of the problems at hand... but I think sempai's missing."  
"What? Really?"  
Milly nodded.  
Suddenly, a gunshot sounded and a shot landed next to Vash's right foot.  
"What the hell?!"  
He looked around, and immediately saw a shadow lurking at the roof of the grocery they'd been to yesterday.  
Vash quickly drew his gun and aimed for the shadow, but the shadow flickered and vanished.  
This time, several gunshots cracked the air; they all embedded themselves near Vash.  
Vash realised Wolfwood and Milly were in danger around him.  
"Keep a distance away!"  
He yelled, and began running.  
  
It was exactly as he had planned.  
He was running, and running exactly into where he wanted him to be.  
He dashed from rooftop to rooftop, until finally there were no more rooftops to shoot from.  
They were on the outskirts of town.  
Grinning, he jumped down and ran up a sand dune, out of town.  
Vash saw him, and followed.  
He scrambled up the dune and saw a man a distance away, holding something.  
Vash ran over, and pointed his gun at the man as he halted in front of him.  
The man had red hair, streaked with copper, and he was hiding something behind his back. He had a sturdy build, but he was tall.   
He was grinning at him, but his eyes were full of hatred.  
"Vash the Stampede."  
Vash winced. Was this another bounty hunter?  
"Are you a bounty hunter?"  
"No. I'm not another bounty hunter."  
Vash paused.   
The man was starting to grin more wildly.  
Something was definitely up here.  
"Uhm, did you do that to the building?"  
"Yes. But don't worry, I don't think I killed anyone. It was just to bring you outside."  
Vash frowned.  
"Who are you?"  
"Rederine the Temaski. I'm half plant, half human... a bit like you, Vash the Stampede."  
Vash's eyes widened.  
"How'd you--"  
"Professor Corman found out. He read it in his grandfather's journal log."  
Rederine spun a black gun around his thumb and finger before he pointed it at Vash.  
"It's orders. I have to bring you to him."  
Vash's eyes hardened.  
"Why?"  
Wolfwood and Milly ran up just then, and they stared at the man, and at Vash.  
"What's going on?"  
Wolfwood asked Vash. Rederine laughed.  
"Good, good. More to watch the fireworks."  
Milly frowned.  
"Fireworks?"  
"Figuratively, not literally, big girl."  
Wolfwood turned from Milly to Vash.  
"Tongari, was it him? Did he destroy that building?"  
"Yeah. It was him."  
Wolfwood unleashed his cross, and Milly pulled out her stungun.  
The trio had their weapons out, and they were all pointing at Rederine. Rederine had a gun trained on Vash, but still, it appeared that the odds were against him.  
They didn't expect him to laugh again.  
"Well, well. Don't resolve to violence so quickly. I just wanted to bring the attention of Vash the Stampede to me."  
Vash lowered his gun.  
"If you want to negotiate, go ahead."  
Rederine's eyes narrowed.  
"I don't want to negotiate,"  
He spat.  
"I just want you to know, Vash the Stampede, just how it feels like to watch someone you love and care for die! You did exactly the same to me, so you only deserve this!"  
He roughly grabbed what he'd been hiding behind his back, and pushed it to the ground.  
"Sempai!!"  
Milly gasped.   
Vash stiffened as he watched Rederine press a foot to her back. Her clothes and leggings were torn, and deep cuts were all over her. Blood stained her clothes.  
"What the hell did you do to her?"  
Vash asked, struggling to keep his voice level.  
"Just had a little fun."  
"A little fun??"  
"Don't get so hyped up. She wouldn't call out to you. She made me do it."  
He replied idly, then leant down to pat Meryl's cheek.  
"Little girl, wake up."  
She didn't even stir.  
He slapped her, and pressed a gun to her jaw.  
"Get up!!"  
Milly winced as though she'd been slapped as well.  
"Sempai...!!"  
She said, her eyes filling with tears.   
Meryl opened her eyes, and it took a while for her eyes to focus.  
She looked up to see and feel Rederine pressing a gun to her jaw.  
She glanced over to where Rederine was looking.   
Vash, Milly and Wolfwood stood there, Milly looking like she was about to cry, Wolfwood gaping at her and Vash looking angrily at Rederine.  
"Good girl."  
He lifted the gun, but kept the gun trained on her.  
"Get up."  
Meryl got up from the ground to her knees, and then slowly stood up.  
"Look at them."  
She turned to them, but did not lift her face up. Meryl couldn't believe herself.  
Vash was going to have to do something he didn't want to again, because of her.  
Again.  
"Let her go."  
Wolfwood's words made Rederine laugh again.  
"You mean, give the girl to you on the condition Vash the Stampede follows me? It's not that easy, I'm afraid."  
He pushed Meryl forward, and she stumbled towards them.  
"Vash the Stampede, you're going to have to be fast to prevent this death. Say goodbye meanwhile."  
He pointed the gun to Meryl's back.  
  
"NO!!"  
Vash yelled desperately,  
"DON'T KILL HER!!"  
He ran forward, but it was too late.   
The crack of the gunshot filled Vash's ears completely.   
Meryl's head jerked up, her eyes wide open with shock and pain.  
Then she fell forward, and collapsed onto the ground.  
It felt as though it had happened too quickly.  
There was a terrible silence, which in reality it lasted only for a few seconds, but in the mind of those watching seemed to last for hours.  
Then Milly broke it.  
She screamed.  
"SEEEMPAAAIIII--!!!!!!!"  
She rushed towards her, turning her over and cradling her head.  
"SEMPAI!!!!!!!"  
Vash pointed his gun to Rederine, whose face was no longer smiling, but twisted in anger and hatred.  
"Don't you dare. You're not going come with me yet. Not for while, anyways."  
"Why?"  
Vash asked, his voice low.  
"Because you did the equivalent to me. I'll be back to take down more."  
He turned, and vanished in a gust of wind.  
Vash didn't even pause to think about who he was.  
He ran over to Meryl, and took her from Milly. The bullet was still somewhere in her, and he pressed his fingers against the wound and gasped. It was a fatal shot.  
"Damn it!"  
Vash gripped her shoulders, and began to shake her.  
"Wake up! WAKE UP!!"  
He yelled, and Meryl opened her eyes to him, and gave a small smile.  
"I didn't cry out this time."  
She whispered. Then blood rose up her throat, choking her.  
"Those better not be your last words. Don't die. Don't!"  
Vash said, his voice turning to desperacy.  
She closed her eyes, and her body relaxed completely.  
"Don't be dead. _Please_ don't be dead!"  
He pressed his fingers to her throat, but felt no pulse.  
Vash began to feel tears fill his eyes.  
"Damn it!"  
He picked up her wrist, and then his eyes were drawn to the long scar on it.   
_Okay. Someone tried to attack you, so I shoved my hand in the way._  
He pressed his fingers to her wrist, and felt no pulse.  
"No. Damn it, no."  
He choked out, tears spilling.  
_ Are you blushing??  
N-n-no! No! Of course not._  
He held her scarred hand with his own, and put the other below her back, raising her up. His tears spilled over and onto her.  
_Eden._  
"Why...?"  
He whispered.  
_Please, hurry... for if you're too late, you'll never get it back._  
The words that echoed in his head brought him to stunned silence. Milly was next to him, her own face streaked with tears.   
Wolfwood put down his cross, and kneeled down with the two.  
The look on Vash's face reminded him strongly of the time Brad had died, only this time it seemed even worse.  
Vash wrapped his arm around Meryl tightly, pulling her to him as the other hand held her head.  
His tears were coursing down harder than ever.  
Then he let out an unearthly wail of sadness, confusion, desperacy, anger and pain.   
The wail went on and on.  
Milly looked at him, tears spilling over as she felt she could share what he did.  
Wolfwood felt tears sting his own eyes.  
_He really never gets a break, does he?_  
  
  



	15. Chapter Fourteen: Blue Sky

  
**Chapter Fourteen: Blue Sky**   
  
"So..."  
Meryl slowly opened her eyes.   
Blue sky.  
She was suspended in the sky, with no ground.  
How strange.  
"Hitotsu me no yoru ni..."  
_ Is she awake yet?_  
Red rose petals gently floated above her, carried by soft winds.  
She felt light, almost weightless...   
"Izuko kara koishi ga... sekai ni ochi... ru...."  
_ Aa, she is awake now._  
The singing stopped.   
A light laughter instead sounded.  
It sounded like...  
Vash.  
Meryl sat up, and turned to her right.   
Seated there was Vash, hugging his knees to his chest.  
He turned to notice her, and laughed.  
"Hello. I see you're awake now."  
Meryl blinked.  
"Vash-san...?"  
Vash blinked back.  
_Vash?_  
"Eh? Vash?"  
Vash looked confused, and so Meryl.   
Then Vash perked up.  
"Oh, do I have a mole under my right eye? Am I blond?"  
Meryl was taken back from the sudden eagerness, and the strange questions.  
"Uhm... yeah."  
Vash laughed.  
"Alright. I see."  
_So this is the girl._  
He went back to looking at the skies with brighter eyes.  
"Do you know where you are, Meryl?"  
Meryl was startled.  
"You called me by my name!"  
Vash cocked his head to one side as he looked at her in surprise.  
"Don't I usually?"  
"N-no!"  
She spluttered.   
He laughed.  
"Aa. What a mean guy."  
_I can't believe he's still afraid. He truly is an idiot._  
Vash shook his head and went back to looking at the sky.  
"Do you know where you are?"  
He repeated.   
Meryl looked at him curiously. Something was off about him.  
"Uhm... no."  
Something made her say,  
"Are you Vash?"  
Vash laughed.  
_My, she must be very close to him to figure out so quickly I'm not really him._  
"Very good! Correct. I am not Vash."  
Vash smiled.   
Meryl noted that the smile was not really a Vash smile. It was more of... an elderly one.  
Vash laid himself back, and looked at Meryl with a sweet smile.  
"This is the neutral ground between Heaven and Land."  
Meryl snorted.  
"Some ground."  
Vash laughed.  
"Too true. In any case, you are here to be tested by me."  
Meryl raised her eyebrows in surprise.  
"Tested?"  
Vash nodded.  
"I am the gatekeeper of this neutral ground. Those who God considers to have a second chance are given to me to test."  
Meryl looked up at the endless skies.  
_ Why did she die?_  
"You look a lot like Vash-san."  
"Do I? I turn into the person you wanted to see the most before you died."  
Before I died...? Meryl thought absently.  
Died?  
Meryl bolted upright, the memory of what had just happened to her rushing back into her.  
"I'm dead!!"  
She yelped.   
"You are."  
Vash said calmly.  
_They always take a while to realise._  
"Crap!"  
Meryl said, her hands threatening to tear out her hair.  
_Yikes!_  
Vash quickly got up to stop her.  
"What's wrong??"  
"Vash-san is going to blame himself for my death! He'll think it's his fault! Craaap!! I need to live! Argh!"  
Vash laughed.  
"I _did_ say God sends those who He considers worthy of living again to me."  
Meryl stopped running around to look at her.  
"Ne?"  
"You can live again on the conditions given to me."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah."  
_Time to see how much she cares for him._  
Vash paused, and then smiled.  
"Sit down. Tell me about this... Vash."  
Meryl looked at him for moment, then sat down as well, and looked up at the blue and white.  
"He's the weirdest person I've ever met."  
Was how Meryl started. She rushed on a tirade on his stupidity, his skirt-chasing and his annoying personality.  
"...and he called me fat just yesterday! I mean, is that what you say to a lady? And I remember he tried to look up a girl's skirt! Huh! And ..."  
_My, she's lively. And I'm not too sure whether she even likes Vash or not._  
The Vash Meryl was talking to was looking more and more amused and surprised she spoke.  
Finally, Meryl calmed down, and there was a pause.   
Then Meryl picked up again on a different strand.  
"But.. that's not what's all to him. He's.. he's got this beautiful side of him he doesn't reveal until someone gets hurt."  
Her violet-grey eyes softened as she described the times he cried not for himself but for others, and the times when he risked his life just to save others. She then said quietly how she'd died.  
_So that was how she died._  
"...so although I didn't cry out this time, I don't think..."  
She trailed off, and looked sadly at the Vash across her.  
"He doesn't deserve to get hurt like this."  
She whispered.  
_...I can't believe he had to go through so much...!_  
Vash's eyes brightened with tears.  
"Meryl, I think you've earned back your ticket."  
Meryl snapped to full attention.  
"What?"  
"I mean that your ticket to the future was given back to you."   
"Really?! But--"  
"It's still blank, so you've got nothing to worry about."  
Meryl's smile warmed as she said sincerely,  
"Thank you."  
_This girl..._  
Vash pulled her into a hug, and Meryl felt as though she wasn't hugging Vash, but someone else.  
She smiled.  
"What's your real name?"  
Meryl asked.  
"You can ask him later."  
Meryl frowned in confusion.  
"Eh?"  
_She'll find out eventually._  
"You're a woman though, aren't you?"  
Vash blinked.  
_She's sharp._  
"How'd you know?"  
"You... act like one."  
Vash smiled through his tears.  
"Don't be afraid."  
He whispered.   
_I mean it. Don't be afraid... of him, mostly._  
Meryl saw a light slowly begin to glow from her.  
"I'm glowing!"  
"Don't worry, I'm just sending you back."  
Meryl watched herself grow brighter and brighter, contrasting strongly against Vash's red coat.  
_I guess it wouldn't hurt to ask._  
"Meryl."  
"Yes?"  
Meryl shut her eyes tightly, feeling herself slowly fade from the person's presence.  
"Please... tell him I'm proud of him."  
Meryl's eyes flew open in surprise before the bright light whitened her vision to nothing.  
_You two deserve each other._  
  
  



	16. Chapter Fifteen: Hope

  
**Chapter Fifteen: Hope**   
  
Vash's wail stopped abruptly.   
Milly and Wolfwood looked at him worriedly, and their eyes widened in confusion when Vash suddenly gasped.  
He'd just felt heart-beat against his chest.  
He lowered Meryl down quickly to look at her, and Meryl's eyes flickered open.  
"...Y-y-you're..."  
He stammered. She blinked several times, before her eyesight registered on Vash.  
She smiled weakly.  
Shaking a little, Vash pressed the back of his hand to her neck.  
Was she... really...?  
He felt her pulse beat, although a bit faintly, against his hand.  
Vash felt fresh tears well, although it was now of glorious, sweeping relief and happiness.  
"I'm ... I'm so glad!!'  
He pulled Meryl into himself and hugged her tightly, feeling her heartbeat against his.  
Meryl gently lifted her own arms, and hugged him back.  
His tears were soaking her shoulder, but she didn't care.  
Milly was smiling in relief and happiness as well, and Wolfwood sighed in heavy relief.  
Meryl lifted herself a little, feeling her own tears spill as she did so, to his ear.  
"She told me to tell you... that she's proud of you."  
Vash blinked in surprise.  
"You... you met her?"  
He asked, still holding her in his embrace.  
Meryl's vision began to go wavery again.  
"Yes. I... I did. Vash-san... I ... think I ... need to go to a doctor."  
With that, Meryl fell unconcious as Vash pulled back from her hurriedly.  
He pressed his fingers to her back again, searching for her wound.  
It had been at the heart, close to the spine.  
He blinked when he found it.  
It wasn't that close to her heart or spine after all.  
It was no where near fatal.  
But it would be, Vash reminded himself, if he left her here to bleed to death.  
Milly went over and bent down infront of Meryl and Vash.  
"I'll take her."  
She offered.   
"Nah, it's okay. I'll manage."  
Vash picked up Meryl, and pulled her onto his back in piggy-back style, draping her arms together over his shoulders.  
"Let's just get to a doctor."  
He hurried off in direction of the town, Milly and Wolfwood hurrying behind him to catch up.  
  
"Come in."  
Rederine walked into the professor's office.  
The professor stood up quickly, paperwork fluttering to the floor.  
"Rederine, do you know the dangers of your action?!"  
Rederine looked away from the professor and outside the window.  
"I just shot her, Professor,"  
he said with a hint of sulkiness.  
"You _just_ shot her, huh? What if you killed her?"  
'I was meant to.'   
Rederine thought, but said out loud,  
"Well, she lived, sir."  
"You brought emotional stress and disorder to the main subject!!"  
Professor Corman shouted, spit flying.  
Rederine looked at the angry professor without emotion.  
Corman flipped open a hidden compartment from the corner of his desk, and set his finger and thumb around the knob it revealed.  
"You know you deserve this,"  
He said as he turned the knob.  
Rederine heard the familiar, quiet hum of high pitched frequency.  
It grew louder and louder, until the pitch filled his senses, his head suddenly pierced with pain as he found himself being jerked about, his arms flailing as his joints were twisted around, his eyes clouding with strange visions...  
_Father... what is this?_  
He banged his knees against the office's oak desk as he stumbled around, clutching his head.  
_It's just an experiment. Don't worry. It's not going to hurt you._  
Rederine shut his eyes, blocking out the unwanted memories. The sound cut off abruptly, and the torture subsided. But Rederine's head still throbbed, his eyes still burned, his arms and legs still twitching.  
"Get up, and this time, if I catch you doing anything off orders again, I'll turn the frequency up to its maximum."  
Rederine got up, turned and stalked out of the room.  
Once outside the whole laboratory, he banged a fist into the building wall.  
"Damn you, Vash the Stampede. I hate you."  
He went on muttering as he walked further and further into the desert plains that surrounded the lab.  
"You killed him."  
  
"...narrowly missed her lung. Hello?"  
Doctor Lonners waved a hand in front of the blonde man's face.  
"Uh, you listening?"  
Vash shook himself out of his thoughts.  
"Yeah... so how long will it take for recovery?"  
The doctor checked his clipboard.  
"A couple of weeks, I should think. The bullet didn't go in deep enough to make a fatal injury. Miss Stryfe will be up in less than a month."  
He put the clipboard down and opened the door of the room.  
"She'll probably stay in her sleep for a while, though. Don't expect her wake up too soon."  
Vash nodded.  
"I know."  
"I have other patients to tend to, mister, so I'll leave now. I'll come back to check up on her later."  
"Thank you."  
Doctor Lonners gave Vash a warm and encouraging smile before exiting the room and shutting the door.  
Vash turned to Milly, who was propped up on Meryl's bed with her elbows, and Wolfwood, who was behind her and talking to Milly.  
"Let's go downstairs,"  
Wolfwood was saying,  
"we can return back up here after we buy something to eat. I'm sure the small girl would like something to eat when she wakes up."  
Milly sighed, finally relenting.  
"I guess you're right, Mr. Priest."  
She looked up to Vash.  
"Are you coming?"  
Vash glanced at Meryl, who was sleeping peacefully in her bed.  
"Nah. I got a couple of things to think about."  
Milly looked at Meryl, then to Vash, before making a very goofy grin.  
"Oh-kay! I'll just take your coat and sempai's clothes to the wash."  
Wolfwood and Milly walked out of the door, but just before Wolfwood left, he threw over his shoulder,  
"Have fun!"  
before walking out and shutting the door with a snap.  
Rolling his eyes, Vash dragged up a chair from the table and sat next to Meryl, and looked at her sleeping face.  
Milly had changed Meryl out of her blood-soaked clothes and into her nightclothes, which made her look much more vunerable.  
Her blood had stained a bit of his clothes, too, so he himself was wearing clothes other than his usual belts and buckles and red trenchcoat; he was wearing a white-shirt and loose trousers.  
She looked quite different in her nightclothes, he thought.   
He gently took her hand into his, and traced the scar that was forming with his fingers.  
Then he let go suddenly, as though he had been burned. He looked at his hand and hers with an aghast expression.  
'What the hell am I doing?!'  
Vash thought, backing away.  
He was about to move his chair back when from his head, he heard her voice again.  
_You're more afraid than she is._  
He paused.  
Then Vash slowly sat back in his chair, and held Meryl's hand again. He ran a finger over her forming scar again.  
'I... I need to find that Rederine the Demaskas, or Temaskals, whatever it was... He said he'll be back to take more.'  
Vash spoke silently to Meryl as he held her hand, seeking some sort of comfort.  
'I don't like seeing people get hurt...'  
Swallowing, he held her hand a bit more tightly.  
'You're giving me hope. I mean... you nearly died because of me... no, you died because of me, but you lived again. That's a miracle, isn't it?'  
He pressed her hand to his forehead, and he closed his eyes.  
'You said.. you said you met her.'  
Vash's thoughts came to a halt, and he had to recollect his unfinished thoughts before continuing.  
"I think she brought you back. I'm glad she did.'  
He felt her pulse beat steadily against his hand.  
'If this is a miracle from her... then it can only be for a reason. I feel that she's telling me to not give up yet... because I very nearly gave in to all those emotions that flooded into me when you died.'  
Vash shuddered at the memory.  
'So... just be there. Stay alive. You're... you _are_ my hope, I guess. I feel really confused though... I don't know why these things happen to me. You're right; nothing good follows me around.   
'...Hey. I can think of a couple of things that follow me around that aren't bad at all, though. For example... Wolfwood and you two insurance girls.'  
He almost laughed at the thought, not to mock, but in realisation that it was completely true.  
'Anyways. Even though I feel confused... at least I know that not everything I touch dies.'  
Hoping he was right, he held Meryl's hand with both of his. He opened his eyes in surprise when she gently squeezed his hand back reassuringly.  
He looked at her.  
She wasn't awake, yet somehow, at that moment, it was all he needed.  
  
  



	17. Chapter Sixteen: Sugar

  
**Chapter Sixteen: Sugar**   
  
He walked into the restaurant, looked around, and saw the two he expected.  
The big girl and the cross guy.  
Casually walking up to the bar, Rederine sat and ordered a drink. He could hear what the two were saying, and he had a cloak with a large hood that hid who his face.  
"...-nant."  
The big girl.  
There was a long pause.  
"You're not joking, are you?"  
The cross guy sounded a little funny.  
"I'm not, Mr. Priest. It's funny how these things turn out, ne?"  
The big girl laughed.  
Finally, what Rederine has been waiting for arrived - the waitress.  
"What would you like?"  
"Chocolate ice-cream!"  
"Black coffee."  
"Chocolate ice-cream, black coffee? Be right back."  
Rederine smiled. They were just too innocent right now - they had no idea what was about to happen.  
He toyed with a spoon that was half-buried in a pot of sugar, also mixed with something he'd just added.  
He waited.  
The lady came out again, balancing a dish of chocolate ice-cream, a cup of coffee, a plate of waffles and syrup in a tray. He lifted his hand and called out for her.  
She glanced at his face, and for a split second, their eyes met.  
Rederine smiled, and cast.  
She stood still for a few seconds, frozen to the spot.   
_Walk over._  
She walked over jerkily, and stood in front of him.  
He gestured to a sugar pot next to his arm.  
"Don't need any sugar, ma'am?"  
_Accept._  
She nodded.  
"Take it, then."  
_Pick the sugar up._  
"Th-th-thank you-u, s-sir."  
She was finding it extremely difficult to get the words out, and trembling a little she picked up the sugar and set it onto her tray.  
_Go to their table._  
She walked towards the table that had ordered ice-cream and coffee, stopping half-way to set out the waffles and syrup onto another.  
Upon reaching the table, she found her mouth curling into a forced smile.  
_Put down what they ordered._  
"H-here is your i-i-ice-cream ma'am, and y-your c-c-cof-f-fee, s-sir,"  
The big girl looked at her in concern.  
"Are you okay, ma'am?"  
_You're perfectly fine._  
"I'm f-fine, ma'am."  
_Put sugar into the coffee._  
She picked up the spoon in the sugar-pot with difficulty, and then poured a single spoonful into the man's coffee.  
He raised an eyebrow.  
"I don't usually drink it with sugar."  
_Apologise._  
"S-sorry s-s-sir."  
_Take up the tray._  
She picked up the empty tray, and held it to herself.  
What was happening to her?   
_Walk to the kitchen._  
She stood, rooted to the spot, fear gripping her.  
_Walk to the kitchen._  
She began to walk to the kitchen, each step draining energy out of her.  
Her first step into the kitchen,  
_Thank you._  
and the kitchen door shut behind her.  
She blinked.  
The connection between her and the voice was gone.  
In front of her lay the bustle and sounds of the usual kitchen.  
Another waitress noticed her strangely unfocused eyes and her open mouth.  
She walked over to her.  
"Lydia. Lydia? Are you okay?"  
She made no reply, but fell to the ground in a dead faint.  
  
Milly dug a spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth, and gave a happy smile to Wolfwood.  
"Imagine... a child that looks like you, and looks like me."  
Wolfwood tried to imagine.  
"It'd probably be a girl."  
He sipped his coffee with an image of the child.  
"I'd like to have a girl."  
Milly's happy smile grew as she thought of it.  
"When did you find out?"  
Wolfwood asked.  
"Around a week ago,"  
She replied,   
"because sempai suspected it."  
Wolfwood choked on his coffee.  
"Sh-she knows?!"  
He spluttered. Milly handed him a napkin.  
"Yes, she does. She said she couldn't tell through me, but through you."  
'I'm that obvious??'  
Wolfwood thought.  
"Uhm... so what did she do?"  
Milly ate another spoonful.  
"She told me to check. When it came out positive, sempai thought it was wonderful. She told me to tell you that if you hurt me, she'll hurt you."  
She laughed.  
Wolfwood shook his head with a smile, drinking a bit more of his coffee.  
Over the rim of his cup, he looked at her blue eyes, soft brown hair and the innocent smile on her lips. His face warmed.  
As if he'd ever remotely _want_ to hurt her.  
  
  



	18. Chapter Seventeen: Stungun Milly

  
**Chapter Seventeen: Stungun Milly**   
  
Rederine waited outside the restaurant, hidden in a gap between two buildings.  
Finally, the big girl and the cross guy came out.  
"It's about time."  
He muttered. He waited until they came close enough.  
When they did, he pulled his orange cloak over his face, and ran out.  
  
One second, Wolfwood had been casually holding his cross.  
The next, the cross was gone.  
"Eh?!"  
He looked around, and saw just ahead an orange-hooded figure running, clutching his cross.  
"Hey! HEY!!"  
He ran after him, turning back to yell at Milly,  
"Sorry, I'll get back to you in a sec!"  
and then running after the thief at full sprint.  
The thief ran into an abandoned warehouse, and Wolfwood followed, feeling angry that anyone in their right mind would try and steal his cross.  
Wolfwood entered, sweat already beginning to gather at his hair-line.  
"Damn it, where'd he go?"  
He looked to his left, and there he saw a glimpse of orange at the top of the stairs.  
"Oh, no you don't!"  
He ran up the stairs after the cloaked figure, and after several floors, found that the thief was running into a room.  
Panting, Wolfwood ran into the room.  
The room was wide and open to the desert - it was mostly balcony and verandah.  
The thief vaulted over the railings.  
"Hey! Don't take my cross with you!"  
Wolfwood ran over to the railings, and looked over the rusted metal.  
At least thirty meters down was ground.  
His eyes darted left to right, searching for the thief.  
There wasn't a sign of orange anywhere.  
Then Wolfwood heard a swish of a cloak behind him, but before he could turn around, something hit him hard over the head and shoulders, and he found himself falling right over the railings. His stomach hit the railings as he was thrown over, slowing his fall enough for him to grab at the railing with one hand.  
It took him a minute to recover from the blow.  
When he did, he looked up quickly, the twin suns blinding him as he did so, and caught the figure of a man.  
A familiar ring of laughter sounded.  
'It's that wacko Vash faced!'  
Wolfwood realised. Then,  
'Shit! I just fell for one of the dumbest tricks possible!'  
"I suppose you won't be needing this, anymore."  
Wolfwood saw his cross being thrown right over, and with the other hand, caught it.  
His right hand tightened its grip onto the railing.  
"Give it up,"  
Wolfwood gritted his teeth. He tightened his grip even further, even though they were starting to lose feeling. He intended to flip right over and bash the guy's skull open.  
However, the man stepped onto his hand, crushing it painfully and forcing the grip out of it.  
Wolfwood let out a surprised yell as he fell, but managed to turn himself round and fall onto the ground with his feet.  
He set his cross onto the ground, and looked up again, squinting at the balcony.  
"Too late again, I'm afraid."  
The voice spoke right in his ear, and Wolfwood spun around angrily.  
Yep, it was him alright. The crazy red-head.  
He was just about to tug on the buckles on his cross when the man shook his head.  
"I don't know what you're going to do with that cross, but I strongly suggest giving it up. Because... well... you have about three seconds."  
Wolfwood suddenly felt a sharp pain stab at his head.  
He blinked as darkness began to invade his vision, and he fell to the ground.  
"Wh-what the hell??"  
He gasped, and then he blacked out.  
  
Milly waited at the base of the warehouse for around a minute.   
When he didn't come down, she began to worry.  
She was about to go up, carrying her stungun, when she heard him yell.  
Her eyes widened.  
'That came from the other side of this building.'  
She thought, and she ran around the building, and along the alley.  
'Oh no... something happened to Mr. Priest!'  
She stumbled, but quickly picked herself up again.  
'Oh, I hope I'm not too late!!'  
At the other end of the warehouse, it opened to the desert.  
She glanced around, and immediately saw what she had dreaded; the man from that morning two days ago, who had shot Meryl.  
"H-H-HOLD IT!!"  
She yelled, hitching up her stungun.  
Then man turned, revealing him tying Wolfwood onto his own cross.  
"Yes?"  
He asked.   
"Wh-what are you doing t-t-to Wolfwood-san?!!"  
She sounded demanding, but she was still scared, causing her voice to stutter.  
"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm devising another way to hurt Vash the Stampede."  
He finished tying Wolfwood's arm to the left part of the cross.  
Then he dusted his hands together.  
"Finished. Alright, now to take care of you."  
He turned to face her, but Milly was ready.  
"Y-y-you stop trying t-to hurt Vash-san!!"  
She yelled, and fired three shots at the man.  
He obviously hadn't expected it, and failed to miss it.  
It hit him in the stomach, his right leg and his head.  
"Damn it!!"  
He growled, and reached over the side of his belt for his gun.  
"Oh no you d-don't!!"  
She fired another shot that hit the man's hand, the gun falling to the ground.  
He glared at her, eyes blazing, and pulled out what looked like a whip.  
She fired two more shots - one that hit the gun on the ground further away from the man, and the other that hit the whip out of the man's other hand.  
"G-g-give up!!"  
He looked away from her, his eyes hidden. He didn't answer.  
"Why do y-you want t-to hurt Vash-s-san anyway?!!"  
His fists clenched tightly.  
"He killed my father!"  
He spat.  
Milly felt a pang of sympathy, but still felt angered.  
"W-well, you didn't have t-to try and k-kill sempai, and Wolfwood-s-san!!"  
He then turned his head up.  
Milly saw in his eyes something she hadn't really expected - a lot of pain and sadness.  
"I'll be seeing you again."  
He said, and he swept his cloak over himself.  
Then he was no longer there.  
Milly ran over to Wolfwood, kicking up sand in her wake.  
She had to pause and gasp when she reached him.  
He was strung up to his own cross in a twisted fashion, and what tied the priest and the cross together were not merely ropes but strange nylon-like threads that bore tiny hooks, some of which had already torn his skin.  
Milly pressed her hands to his face, tears gathering in her eyes.  
"Mr. Priest!! Mr. Priest!!"  
He didn't reply, and Milly quickly checked for a pulse.  
She sighed with pure relief when she felt it.  
Her hands groped around the tight threads, only to find that it would probably only break using a knife.  
"Oh, I need a knife! A knife... I don't have one!!"  
She looked at Wolfwood, and found that she had never seen him look so defenceless in her life.  
Milly used her sleeve to wipe the sweat at his brow, all the meanwhile looking around for something - anything - that would help cut what bound Wolfwood to the cross, but couldn't see anything that would seem to work since they were mostly facing the desert.  
She bit her lip, wondering whether she should leave him here and go for Vash.  
But looking at Wolfwood in such a wretched position, she didn't think she could just leave him here.  
'I guess there's one way to do it...'  
Milly thought.  
  
  



	19. Chapter Eighteen: Rederine the Temaski I

  
**Chapter Eighteen: Rederine the Temaski I**   
  
"Father? Father, let's go play!"  
The professor sighed, and turned to his son.  
"No, I can't. I'm too busy."  
"But you promised yesterday we could play any ball game I wanted today..."  
The young boy whined.  
"No."  
The professor said firmly. The boy's shoulders sagged.  
"Why not?"  
"Because I've just discovered something recently."  
The boy curiously peeked over his father's elbow at the desk. On it lay many papers, all with symbols, equations and words the boy was too young too understand, or even bother to comprehend.  
"What are you working on?"  
"Your great-grandfather's journal revealed some startling... information."  
His eyes gleaming, the professor lined a ruler up to a certain design forming in the center of the page.  
"He himself helped design several plant involving machines... he helped in several experiments..."  
The professor let out a harsh laugh that the young boy was not used to, and he shivered.  
"But what does that have to do with you, father?"  
"I plan to recreate this half-finished design my grandfather started before he died. It's all about lost technology... and I think I know exactly how to do it."  
The boy shivered again. His father's tone had somewhat changed to something... oddly... cold.  
"But father... what does the machine do?"  
The man laughed.  
"It combines plant and human together. Wouldn't that be simply amazing?"  
The boy thought about it, then frowned.  
"I don't see the point..."  
The professor turned back to his work.  
"We might be able to find a whole new meaning to sources of energy - of power! We could create human batteries out of those good-for-nothings on the streets! That would be the best, wouldn't it?"  
Human batteries?  
The term made the young boy shudder. It sounded so cruel.  
The young boy walked out of the room, clutching his ball to himself silently.  
In the weeks that followed, the professor seemed to turn more and more away from his son.  
He shut himself in his study, and only came out to drink water or take some food into his room.  
The boy was beginning to feel more and more unwanted, more neglected and more lonely than he ever had so far in his life.  
What was happening to him he could not understand.  
His father had never been a workaholic, and he had never ignored his son like this before.  
But the young boy kept hope that one day his father would revert back to his old self - the professor who loved his son more than anything, especially after his mother had died.  
About three weeks later, the professor opened the door, looked around and then spotted his son sleeping outside of his door on the floor.  
"Get up!"  
He snapped.  
The boy awoke from his dream, and looked up at his father.   
"Yes father?"  
He said timidly.   
As he stood up, he thought that he had never had to have been timid or shy around the professor - it was his own father, for goodness' sake.  
But the person he saw before him he could hardly recognise as his father.   
The man before him had hardened lines on his face from late nights and hard work, his laughter lines no longer visible, and the figure was ... imposing, almost threatening. "Go to the places I've indicated here and bring back what I ordered on it. Pay them with this."  
And shoving a sheet of paper and an envelope into the boy's hands, he slammed the door in the boy's face without another word.  
The following week, the boy went back and forth from the house to stores and yards in the town and next, bringing back things such as thick to thin sheets of copper, plastic-coatings, what felt like too many yarz of wire...  
By the end of the fifth day of such toil, the boy began to feel his hope for his old father back dwindle down.  
This new plan to combine plant and human together; the idea of creating something as brutal as human batteries; it had caught his father up in a strange craze, changing him slowly but surely into something even his son could no longer recognise.  
By the end of the week, the boy began to feel something else towards his father.  
He didn't know what it was, but it made the boy feel extremely confused. His father hadn't spoken a word to him since that day he'd been told to gather materials; he hadn't even said a word of thanks for bringing all these things for him.  
Each night the professor spent inside his study, sounds of soldering and drilling from inside - each night, the boy slept in his room, some nights allowing tears to spill and other nights too tired to.  
The next day after the seventh of going back and forth, the boy was then told -   
"You are no longer needed."  
It stabbed the young boy in the heart to be told such a sentence by his own father, and during the week after, the boy went around in a dazed sort of shock.  
His hope was dying.  
However, a whole month after the professor had begun his work, he came out, smiling.  
"I've created a prototype!"  
He announced.  
His son, who had been just outside, looked up at him in surprise.  
He picked up his son and whirled him around in the air, laughing.  
"This is great! My dear boy, we could make so much out of this!"  
The boy was delighted that his old father seemed to be back.  
When he entered the study to see what his father's invention was like, he let out a gasp.  
It was huge, for one thing.  
Much of the study had been cleared off to one side, leaving space for the invention.  
It looked like a huge pillar of tarnished copper and grey metal, wires running everywhere, especially all over the floor.  
There was something that looked like a control panel built into the left side of the machine.  
In the center of the machine, a sheet of glass had been used to shield the hollow inside, which looked like a small, metal room.   
"Wow... how does it work?"  
The boy asked, awed by the strange machine.  
The professor set his hands onto the boy's shoulders, smiling as he did so.   
"It should be like this. The glass panel slides open. The person enters. Inside that little space, they sit down. Wires are connected to neccessary parts of the body. Then the glass door is closed, and the codes are entered into the machine. Above this, there should be a huge sphere of glass that will contain a plant. And that plant and the human will combine together, provided that the codes entered are correct."  
The boy noticed that his hands gripped his shoulders too hard, and that his eyes were not to him but to the invention.  
"Does it work?"  
The boy whispered.  
"Only one way to find out."  
The man replied.  
"I'm taking this to science fair next week. Will... you come with me?"  
There was something hesitant in the professor's voice that made the boy feel uneasy, but he still said,  
"Of course I will, father."  
The following week, the professor and his son took the fantastic invention to the science fair three towns away.  
At the second town, the professor stopped the vehicle, told his son to wait, and went to town.  
The son waited.  
After an hour, the professor returned in another vehicle, lugging behind something round and huge that was covered with cloth and tied down with ropes, and with two other men.  
"Who are they?"  
The boy asked.  
"They are people I kept in contact with throughout the past few weeks."  
The professor answered.  
"What is that?"  
The boy asked, pointing at the luggage. This time, he did not get a reply.  
  
  



	20. Chapter Nineteen: Rederine the Temaski I...

  
**Chapter Nineteen: Rederine the Temaski II**   
  
They entered the town holding the science fair, and the professor took his place.  
The boy looked in awe at all the people, at all the inventions brought - some many times smaller, some even bigger than theirs.  
Meanwhile the professor, with the help of the other men, set up his invention.  
When the boy looked back to his father, the pillar of metal had been combined with something huge on top - a glass sphere.  
"Father, is that what you spoke of?"  
"Yes, son, it is."  
The boy looked with wide eyes at the colours inside the sphere. It was a swirling mix of different hues of orange and brown, occasionally flashing red as if in anger. When it did so, large, coppery eyes, dark red features of a face and thin hands pressed against the glass were seen.  
Several other people stopped by to look at the spectacular sight.  
"Is that a plant?"  
The boy asked.  
"Yes."  
The professor answered, his voice growing quiet.  
"Why is it so... angry?"  
The boy asked, feeling scared at the sight of the plant.  
"It isn't."  
The professor replied shortly,  
"Plants cannot feel angry."  
The boy frowned ever so slightly.  
"But it looks angry."  
The professor made no reply.  
Just then, a voice echoed throughout the place.  
"Welcome to the seventeenth science fair of Syron! Each year, new contestants - and old - come to compete for the grand prize of a billion double dollars to help fund their wonderful invention. This year, we have a whopping forty-seven people here, all ready with their wonderful creations. Our first contestant is Dillon McCoy. Let's give big hand to Mr. McCoy!"  
The smattering of applause began as the fair finally started, and the boy looked at the first few presentations - a machine that lit lamps using potatoes; a machine that could crush metal scrap into perfectly neat cubes, ready to be rolled out into sheets; one that could recycle paper; a strange contraption that could be used like a radio, but did not require electricity for its usage - there were so many things that could be useful, and the young boy looked in delight at everything.  
Just as a machine that could imitate vocal sounds came in, the young boy heard just behind him a clipped voice -  
"Is he the guinea pig?"  
He heard his father reply,  
"Yes. Just the "guinea pig", if you wish to call it so - the main experiment focuses on the fusion."  
The boy blinked, and turned around. The man with the clipped voice was one of the men who had come with his father.  
The other man came up behind him, and grabbed him roughly.  
"What the--"  
He struggled, but the man simply swept him up and over to the sliding glass panel of his father's invention.  
The clipped-voiced man pressed a few buttons into the control panel at the side, and the doors slid open.  
He was roughly shoved in, and although he yelled out, his sounds seemed to be muffled inside of the small compartment. The man who had picked him up held him down this time while the other began to attatch wires to him - onto his temples, his shoulder, collarbone, chest, stomach, legs...   
Where was his father?  
Confusion and anger filled him.  
What was his father doing while he was being forced into his own invention?  
Why wasn't he doing anything?  
When he was finally released, the young boy attempted to scramble out of the machine, but the doors shut before he could do so.  
He pressed his eyes against the glass, looking outside desperately for his father.  
To his utter shock, his father was just outside, to the panel. He was completely calm, and he didn't seem to know that his own son was inside of the machine.  
"Father!! Father!!!"  
He yelled, beating his fists against the thick pane of glass. To his horror, his voice was almost completely muffled inside. He tried to tear the wires out, but when he closed a fist over a red wire connected to his head and was just about to yank it out, he suddenly froze.  
He couldn't move.  
He tried to move, but he found that he was strangely unable to.  
He could move his eyes and his lips, though, and he looked outside the window and let out a gasp of surprise.  
His father was kneeling just outside, looking in at him.  
He was smiling.  
"Father... what is this?"  
Fear gripped the young boy's throat, choking his whispered words out.  
Yet the professor still seemed to have heard him.  
His voice was muffled, but the boy could still hear it.  
"It's just an experiment. Don't worry. It's not going to hurt you."  
The boy's eyes filled with tears. They began to stream down his cheeks.   
"F-father?"  
The father had stood up again, back to the control panel. The announcer's voice echoed throughout for the ninth entry - their invention.  
"Father!! Stop!! I want to stay human!!"  
The boy screamed, tears were spilling all over, but the boy still could not move, and the crowd didn't seem to be able to hear him. He heard his father's voice explain to the crowd what this invention was.  
"Stop it!! Father, STOP IT!!"  
He watched his father begin to enter the codes into the panel.  
The boy felt a strange heat radiate above him, and he was suddenly released from his frozen position.  
He rushed to the glass, intending to break free, but he suddenly jerked backwards, screaming in pain. He felt as though he was being torn in half.  
Then he was overcome by a sensation like no other - it was as though it was too hot to breathe but too cold to bear, and he felt as though many needles were prickling him. He felt his feet slowly lift off the floor, and he shut his eyes tightly.  
"FATHER!!"  
He screamed, his throat going raw from the effort. He opened his eyes to be met by huge copper ones, narrowed in obvious anger.  
He felt something grip his wrists, the wires beginning to intwine and tangle as the plant and him began to merge slowly and painfully.  
The boy closed his eyes, tears still spilling.  
The feeling he'd felt for his father while gathering materials for him returned.  
He recognised it immediately from that point - it was hatred.  
Suddenly, the plant seemed to draw back from him.  
He blinked, and saw that the plant seemed afraid of him.  
He didn't know why, but he knew that he didn't want the plant to merge with him at all.  
It had seemed to draw back when he'd felt a hot surge of anger towards his father, so he concentrated on the feeling of hatred, and the plant slowly began to withdraw from him.  
Just when things looked like the two wouldn't be able to fuse together, the strange sensation suddenly returned, and the plant was unwillingly drawn back to him. The boy could no longer struggle; he was frozen, once again. The plant's eyes were filled with fear as it was forced into him, but the boy's feelings of hatred were obviously creating friction between him and it.   
But in a blinding flash of bright light, the two had somewhat become one, and the next thing the boy knew, he was on the ground.  
He slowly lifted himself off the ground, and looked around.  
He was not on the ground but at the back of a truck, a jacket covering him, as he found himself naked.  
He looked at himself, and felt a chill run down his spine. He seemed... older.  
He turned back to look at the driver's side of the truck, and saw his father driving.  
He also caught himself in the rear-view mirror - but he didn't know it was him until he blinked. Amber eyes looked at him, and his fringe of brown was now red.   
His father also caught him in the rear-view mirror, and stopped the truck.   
The man got out of the driver's seat, and went to the back of the truck.   
The first thing he did was slap the boy straight across the face.  
"You fool!!"  
He shouted.  
"What did you do in there? Everything was going perfectly fine until you started to reject the plant, and so I had to use the emergency device to _force_ you two together. Plants were not made to forced, but I had no choice - you were nearly merged with it, so I went on. But what do you think happened? It exploded!!"  
He climbed onto the truck and gave the boy a swift kick in the stomach.  
"Do you have any idea how long I worked on this experiment? What the hell were you thinking? Look at you! You're not properly merged. The plant died during the process, and now you're messed up! You're probably still three quarters human!!"  
The boy spoke for the first time, and now he found his voice deeper and much more different.  
"But father--"  
"Don't you call me 'father'! I don't know who you are now, but you are no longer my son. You got it? You're some hideous freak I created! My own son would not mess something as important as this up!"  
The boy felt the hot surge of anger from the pillar inside him again.  
"So what are you going to do now, 'professor'?"  
He spat.  
"I'm going to start working on something else now. Something that will be based on the first ideas of my grandfather."  
The boy glared at the professor.  
"And that, 'sir', would be?"  
"It'll be about Vash the Stampede. Remember him?"  
The boy blinked in confusion.  
"Vash the Stampede?"  
"My grandfather's friend worked on the drafts that created him. Two plants, created into human form. Vash the Stampede is one of the two, according to the journal. The friend recognised Vash the Stampede, as he was the one who'd planned how the two would look like. So the journal has everything to do with that. I thought it would be too complicated, but now thanks to you, it's all I've got left."  
The boy still didn't understand.  
"I don't get you, fa-.. sir."  
"It's very simple. My grandfather based his idea of an invention to merge human and plant together on his friend's paper drafts. So Vash the Stampede is really a plant in human form! All I need to do is get Vash the Stampede back, and use him for a couple of experiments to get a proper idea on how to recreate the machine from the paper drafts. I mean, the first invention my grandfather and I created... it had too many faults, I should think. It had the intention of creating a being similar to Vash the Stampede... but I failed,"  
The professor looked disgustedly at the boy. The boy's eyes widened.  
"Are you saying that you created that foul device because of Vash the Stampede?! Because _he_, a plant in human form, exists?! You wanted - and still want - _another_ one like Vash the Stampede??"  
The man hit him to the floor.  
"He will possess powers you will never have!!"  
He hissed.  
"You're a failure, whereas, Vash the Stampede is a successful experiment carried out!"  
The words struck the boy much harder than his father had just done.  
The professor jumped out of the back of the truck, and was about to open the door to the driver's seat when he heard the boy's low voice.  
"Who are you?"  
"I'm a professor."  
"...Who... who am I?"  
The professor turned to face him with narrowed eyes.  
"You're... a Temaski. Rederine the... Temaski."  
Rederine opened his eyes. He was in the middle of a desert, sandy winds whipping against his face. He'd fallen asleep again.  
"Damn it."  
He muttered. He didn't know how many times he was going to dream that nightmare, but he felt that he'd never have peace until he'd killed the main reason for it.  
His anger and hatred had shifted from his father to Vash the Stampede.   
The contrasts forever being made between him and Vash the Stampede - it made Rederine want to kill Vash the Stampede already.  
But it wasn't the contrasts that made Rederine truly hate Vash the Stampede - it was who Vash killed.  
Vash the Stampede had killed his father in the worst way - he hadn't killed him physically, no, but the father he had once known, once had, was no more.  
The professor was now just an empty shell, its insides devoured and killed by the mere thought of creating another like Vash the Stampede.  
He'd never called the professor father since that day on the truck.  
He let out a bitter laugh.   
_ "You're... a Temaski. Rederine the... Temaski."_  
Temaski, indeed. The professor sure was creative.  
Rederine remembered the day he'd written out TEMASKI into the sand, trying to work out it meant, before realising what the word was.  
Rearranged, the letters spelt out MISTAKE.  
  
  



	21. Coffee Break

  
_ Hi!  
I'm just the person who wrote this extremely weird fanfic.   
First of all - congratulations! No, the fanfic has not ended yet (groans from the reader) I know I know, it's long, and the previous two chapters were pretty pointless, but still. Anyhow...  
I made a lot of mistakes while I wrote, many which I found while editing, and I remembered how on a Harry Potter fanfic, called Hearts and Hourglasses (which is really good btw, go read it) had this chapter where the author put in all these bloopers that were made throughout the course of writing it.  
I completely understand the author of that fanfic.  
Anyways...  
I started this fanfic with the idea that I would mix all the ideas I'd thought of on fanfiction for Trigun. No, I don't anything from it, so please don't sue me. ^^;; I'd like to say I own Rederine, but I don't really. He was bred up in the Trigun world, so he's not really mine.  
The point is, because I'm just weaving in my ideas (which I wrote on a seperate file) on random, this story tends to get out of hand as I write because I don't have a specific goal, or if I do have an idea on what happens next, I don't know how to connect it.  
I know I must drag a lot - considering what happened so far in the fanfic is not finished yet enough with so many chapters...   
Gomen nasai, minna-san~ ^^;;  
Okay, I was saying that this author put in all these bloopers. I think it's a nice way to slip in a quick break from all the intense reading.  
So I thought I doing something similar since I just had all these mistakes. I call them NGs - think of it like an off-stage thing that sometimes happens, or a script accident.  
I also think you readers should read this bit because it'd make you feel better to know that everyone makes mistakes. So cheer up, Vash!  
  
-starah  
_  
  
  
  
  
**Chapter Two**  
  
**NG #1**  
'Argh! Dammit. I don't even go up to his shoulder,'  
Meryl thought annoyedly.   
Then the grand shocks of all shocks came to Meryl now.  
  
_ I did a double take when I read this as I edited. Did I really write that? Yes I did. Didn't I realise how stupid it sounded? Eerrp. _  
  
  
**Chapter Four**  
  
**NG #2**  
"What?" He asked, keeping his voice down. People around the bus were starting to awaken, and the bus itself was already moving and well on its way, but other people, like Milly and Meryl, were still asleep.   
"You finally got her to loosen up, eh?"  
Wolfwood grinned his characteristic grin.   
  
_ Which would be?_  
  
  
**NG #3**  
"Do you want me to run the plans through you again? Because remember, I want them _alive_--"  
"I know, sir. I think I'll manage."  
"Good. At least you're good at something - excellent memory. Contact me when you get to stage two."  
  
_ Excellent memory, eh? Forget it. (Horrible, horrible pun. I'm sorry, it just came out. :P)_  
  
  
**Chapter Five**  
  
**NG #4**  
"Wake up wake up wake up wake up!"  
Her head lolled about as he jostled her, and she wasn't looking much better than she had a minute before.   
Then Vash frowned.   
Was that a tear in her eyelash?   
  
_ No, it was a tear in her nostril. Geez, I can't believe I wrote that it was **in** her eyelash. It sounds so weird. It doesn't sound right. You get the point._  
  
  
**Chapter Seven**  
  
**NG #5**  
This was really starting to bug Vash - after all, it isn't nice to be ignored by anyone.  
  
_ Er... yes... well, it isn't! >o_  
  
  
**Chapter Eight**  
  
**NG #6**  
"You just want to see if the big girl says anything about you to her."  
Vash muttered.  
"That's partially true."  
Wolfwood clapped a hand to his mouth as Vash stared at him.  
"A-a-are you serious?"  
Vash said, trying his best not to laugh.  
  
_ It just occurred to me that he actually wouldn't mind laughing._  
  
  
**Chapter Thirteen**  
  
**NG #7**  
Just then, a young man came to their presence.   
He had red hair, streaked with copper, and his build was quite sturdy and burly. But he was tall, and when he came up to them, he was as tall, if not taller, than Milly.  
The three looked at him for a moment. He didn't say anything; he just looked at them,   
"Yes?"  
Vash asked politely.  
  
_ Okay, there are just so many things wrong with this, I won't even bother telling you what._  
  
  
**NG #8**  
"Vash the Stampede."  
Vash winced. Was this another bounty hunter?  
"No."  
What?  
"I'm not another bounty hunter."  
What? Who are you??  
"Rederine... Rederine Corman."  
  
_..........._  
  
  
**NG #9**  
_ It took me a looooooooong time to think of a name for the mysterious man, but I did eventually think of one name. He was originally Red Corman, but I changed the name to Rederine. Here is the process of the name:_  
  
"Yes. But don't worry, I don't think I killed anyone. It was just to bring you outside."  
Vash frowned.  
"Who are you?"  
"Rederine the Stinger. I'm half plant, half human... a bit like you, Vash the Stampede."  
  
_ So I thought, isn't the Stinger like some comic-book superhero or supervillain?? Hai..._  
  
"Who are you?"  
"Rederine the Whipper."  
  
"Who are you?"  
"Rederick the Crack."  
  
"Who are you?"  
"Red the Rainbow."  
  
_ It was getting stupid._  
  
  
**NG #10**  
"I don't want to negotiate,"  
He spat.  
"I just want you to know, Vash the Stampede, that I hate you. I can take you with me some other time. But for now, I think you need a taste of your own medicine. Ta da!"  
And he whipped out Meryl from no where.  
  
_ Okay, the first bit up till the 'taste of your own medicine' is a real mistake, and I realised it as I typed. I typed up the rest out of inspirational stupidity._  
  
  
**NG #11**  
"Little girl, wake up."  
Then he slapped her, and pressed a gun to her jaw.  
"Get up!!"  
The three winced and stared in horror.  
  
_ This is something I actually typed. It took me a couple of seconds to realise how dumb that last sentence was. I mean... uhm._  
  
  
**NG #12**  
There was a terrible silence, which in reality it lasted only for a few seconds, but in the mind of those watching seemed to last for hours.  
Then Milly broke it.  
She screamed.  
"GYAAAAAHHHHHHHH---!!!!!! SEMPAI!!!!!!!"  
  
_ You know, I was actually going to leave this here. As in, I really did type it like that. But later on, as I edited the story, I realised just... how STUPID IT SOUNDED, especially in the mind's eye. It sounds like a fangirl scream. -.-;;_  
  
  
**NG #13**  
"Damn it!"  
Vash gripped her shoulders, and began to shake her.  
"Wake up! WAKE UP!!"  
He yelled, and Meryl smiled.  
"Goodbye."  
And she closed her eyes.   
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!"  
Vash yelled.  
  
_ Heh, sorry... I tried my best to keep this bit as uncorny as possible, although I don't know whether I succeeded or not... but I had to play with this scene, it was just so in potential to be sappy. (No, I didn't type the above with mind to incorporate it into the story. I wrote it intentionally as a joke, don't worry.)_  
  
  
**Chapter Fourteen**  
  
**NG #14**  
Before I died...? Meryl thought absently.  
Died?  
Meryl bolted upright, the memory of what had just happened on her planet rushing back into her.  
  
_ It sounds pretty weird, doesn't it? I mean - what had just happened on her planet - it makes to be something that sounds pretty weird._  
  
  
**NG #15**  
"He doesn't deserve to get hurt like this."  
She whispered.  
_...poor Vash...!_  
Vash's eyes were glistening with tears.  
  
_ Ughhh, I was thinking too much on who this character really was, and it just kinda punched me in the face when I realised how yucky it sounded. I mean, the description for the tears here just can't fit here. And saying 'poor Vash' just... sounded real weird._  
  
  
**NG #16**  
"You're a woman though, aren't you?"  
Vash blinked.  
_She's sharp._  
"How'd you know?"  
"You... act like one."  
Vash smiled through her tears.  
  
_ A true, writing NG. I mean, huuuuuuuuuuuge mistake. I probably would've never noticed it if I hadn't been editing for like the fifth time. Oh my gosh. This was truly, TRULY by mistake. Aiyah. (No, it wasn't that I mixed 'his' and 'her' together. It was because... well, you can figure.)_  
  
**Chapter Fifteen**  
  
**NG #17**  
Meryl's vision began to go wavery again.  
"Yes. I... I did. Vash-san... I think I need to go to a doctor."  
With that, Meryl fell unconcious as Vash pulled back from her hurriedly.  
"Whoops, I forgot."  
He said, a little sheepishly.  
Milly went over and bent down infront of Meryl and Vash.  
"I'll take her,"  
She offered.  
  
_ Uhm. Okay, first of all, I saw immediately that I rushed this. Plus the miracle of Meryl living wasn't clearly expressed, so I thought that perhaps I should give a little more into this. But also... okay... Meryl had just gotten shot, she fainted, and Vash is sheepish?? Hai..._  
  
  
**NG #18**  
"Come in."  
Rederine sauntered into the professor's office.  
  
_ Sauntered? Hai... Rederine isn't meant to be that relaxed... he's actually really, really tensed up. Not in the sense that little noises scare him - not to that extent, but still, pretty jumpy at things like little remarks that... uhm... 'weren't very nice'._  
  
  
**NG #19**  
Rederine heard the familiar, quiet hum of high pitched frequency.  
It grew louder and louder, until the pitch filled his senses, his head screaming in pain as he found himself being jerked about, his arms flailing as his joints were twisted around, his eyes clouding with strange visions...  
  
_ What got me here was the 'head screaming in pain' part. I mean... it just doesn't work. Rederine isn't like that. And... uhm... it sounds awkward in the sentence. It makes it sound like his head has it's own mouth... okay... literally, it does, but you know what I mean... uhm... maybe not... next NG!_  
  
  
**NG #20**  
Then Vash slowly sat back in his chair, and held Meryl's hand again. He ran a finger over her forming scar again.  
'I... I have to go out soon. I need to find that Rederine the Demaskas, or Temaskals, whatever it was... I need to go find him. He said he'll be back to take more.'  
  
_ It just sounded too much like Meryl and him have lived together and now he must leave her or something. Honestly, I don't know why it came out like that..._  
  
  
**NG #21**  
Vash spoke silently to Meryl as he held her hand, seeking some sort of comfort.  
'I don't like seeing people get hurt...'  
Swallowing, he held her hand a bit more tightly.  
'I didn't like it when you got hurt. Please don't get hurt anymore.'  
  
_ I got a terrible writer's block after this. But then I also discovered how weird and unlikely that last sentence was. It just doesn't work, you know what I mean? ^^;; Like, you don't ask people to not get hurt..._  
  
  
**NG #22**  
'...hey. I can think of a couple of things that follow me around that aren't bad at all, though. For example... you.'  
He almost laughed at the thought.  
'Geez, I'm getting sappy here.'  
  
_ Yes you are, Vash. Yes you are._  
  
  
**Chapter Sixteen**  
  
**NG #23**  
He walked into the restaurant, his orange cloak drawing glances as it clashed terribly with his hair.   
  
_ Hmm. I don't think this should be in here. The cloak description should come later. Plus... well, it was a stupid sentence, wasn't it?_  
  
  
**NG #24**  
He walked into the restaurant, looked around, and saw the two he expected.  
The big girl and the cross guy, he liked to call them.  
  
_ I just noticed while editing how dumb this sounds. I mean - "he liked to call them" - honestly._  
  
  
**NG #25**  
"...-ry?"  
The big girl.  
"Well, yeah, uhm, you know. 'Cause like... I really, really like you. No, I love you."  
The cross guy.   
So they had a deeper relationship than Rederine thought.  
  
_ Nonononononononono!!!!!!!!!!!_  
  
  
**NG #26**  
"Yes?"  
She asked shyly as she walked up to him.  
Rederine smiled as he gestured for her to bend over a little.  
"I just wanted to say how pretty you are,"  
He murmured. Meanwhile he carefully poured the white powder into the black coffee on the tray as he caused the girl to flare bright red.  
"...meet me at the back in five minutes,"  
Rederine finished, and let her on her way.   
'Human minds are so easy to manipulate,'  
He thought with a silent laugh.  
  
_ (shakes head) _  
  
  
**NG #27**  
"You're joking!!"  
The cross guy sounds ecstatic.  
"I'm not, Mr. Priest. It's funny how these things turn out, ne?"  
The big girl laughs.  
Urgh, thought Rederine, I need to get these two apart - quick.  
  
_ Whoops. Rederine sounds jealous here. And the ecstatic thing sounded a little... funny._  
  
  
**NG #28**  
She stood still for a few seconds, frozen to the spot.   
_Walk over. Walk over. Walk over._  
She walked over, strangely jerkily, and stood in front of him.  
He gestured to a sugar pot nest to his arm.  
"Don't need any sugar, ma'am?"  
_Accept. Accept. Accept._  
She nodded.  
"Take it, then."  
_Pick it up. Pick it up. Pick the sugar up._  
"Th-th-thank you-u, s-sir."  
  
_ Okay, let's face it - the repetition makes for a nice hypnosis effect, but results in something that sounds - let's face it again, shall we - STUPID._  
  
  
**NG #29**  
"I'd like to have a girl."  
Milly's happy smile grew as she thought of it.  
"But my parents might get mad for having a child without marrying..."  
Wolfwood choked on his coffee.  
  
_ It doesn't happen. It just doesn't happen. Milly is straight-forward, but not in this sense. This is like... a manipulative type of straight-forwardness. Not what I intended. I would choke on my coffee, too._  
  
  
**Chapter Seventeen**  
  
**NG #30**  
He ran up the stairs after the cloaked figure, and after several floors, found that the thief was running into a room.  
Panting, Wolfwood ran into the room.  
"FREEZE!! Let go of my cross and surrender - you have no idea who you're messing with!!"  
  
_ And the cloaked figure screamed and fainted._  
  
  
**NG #31**  
He was just about to tug on the buckles on his cross when the man shook his head.  
"I don't know what you're going to do with that cross, but I suggest really giving it up. Because... well... you'll be out like a light in about three seconds."  
  
_ "Out like a light?" I don't know what's gone into me lately. Using weird expressions like these. *sigh*_  
  
  
**Chapter Eighteen**  
  
**NG #32**  
It looked like a huge pillar of tarnished copper and grey metal, wires running everywhere. To the left, a control panel had been set up.  
"Ready for lift off, sir."  
said the young boy, running up to the control panel with a laugh of glee.  
He slammed his hand down onto the red button.  
"No!"  
cried out the professor, but it was too late.  
The whole house shot up into the sky, like a rocket.  
  
_ Yes, I was only playing around... it's just that I wrote the control panel thing, and I realised how weird and strange it sounded and looked to the mind's eye..._  
  
  
_Okay, now depending on your reaction to this whole thing, this may actually bother continuuing. ^^;; Of course, I don't mind flames too much - but I prefer... whatchamacallit... 'constructive criticism'. ^^;; _  
  
  



	22. Chapter Twenty: Wolfwood

  
**Chapter Twenty: Wolfwood**   
  
Sweat beaded on Milly's forehead as she struggled up the small hospital's staircase. Her foot slipped a little, and she had to stop to steady herself before continuing up. She had just reached the second floor when Vash showed up infront of her, clearly heading down.  
He glanced at her as he passed, then did a double-take.  
"Milly?! Wh-what the heck is Wolfwood--"  
"Vash-san! I'm so glad to see you..."  
Vash stared at Milly. Wolfwood, tied grotesquely to what appeared to be his own cross with strange threads, was being carried on Milly's back, which was bent almost double in the effort.  
Vash reached forward to take Wolfwood off Milly when she moved out of his reach with surprising swiftness.  
"It's alright Vash-san, I can manage."  
"What happened?!"  
"I'll explain later..."  
Milly briefly smiled, and continued upstairs.  
_Wolfwood-san... if you die on me now... I will never forgive you!_  
She readjusted her grip on the cross' bonds before continuing.   
  
_Flashback_  
  
Milly refused to look at him, and although she was there, her back was turned. The dust on the floor soaked up her tears.  
All Meryl could do was look down. Her own tears streaked her face, and although they were for Wolfwood, they were for Vash, as well. She had never seen a more sadder face in her life. It was as though he wanted to cry, but he had no tears left; or he wanted to let out wretched cries or sobs, but he had no energy to do so.  
It was a terrible silence as Vash lay Wolfwood onto the front pew's bench. He had a sheet clutched tightly in his fingers; he had searched the church for a coffin, but of course, there was none.   
'I'm sorry, Wolfwood... this is the best I can do.'  
Vash thought, in deep sorrow as he pulled over the thick, velvet sheet over him, trembling slightly.  
"Don't!"  
Vash looked up, startled, as Meryl did so too. Milly seemed to have reached a hysterical point; she was looking at Wolfwood with eyes that did not see.   
"He won't be able to see... he won't be able to see!"  
Her voice broke into hysterical sobs as she pushed forward, pushing Vash aside and pressing her hands to his face.  
He was smiling.  
"Why? God, why did you take him now?"  
Her tears fell onto Wolfwood's chest as she grasped his shirt.  
"Why does he look so peaceful? Why is he smiling? Maybe he's not dead, Vash-san... he wouldn't smile if he was, would he?"  
Collapsing onto the floor, she sobbed into his clothes.  
"Would... he?"  
Her whisper was muffled by the black coat.  
Vash gently touched Milly's shoulders, and led her away from Wolfwood.  
"Milly... he was tired."  
He said simply. Milly's eyes could not look at him anymore, and so she let herself be taken away, further and further from the sorrow.  
Perhaps she thought that if she was taken far, far away, she could run from it.   
Away from the truth she dared not accept.  
  
"So.... hitotsu me no yoru ni..."  
Wolfwood opened his eyes. Rose petals whirled around him, some brushing against his cheek. He was suspended in blue skies, clearer than any sky he'd ever seen, and only a few streaks of white clouds.  
"Izuko kara koishi ga..."  
He turned to the origin of the sweetly singing voice, a familiar voice he could faintly remember...  
"Milly?"  
He said in surprise. Milly's blue eyes met his own, her pretty face brightening with a smile.  
"You're awake now."  
He looked around the sky.  
"Where are we?"  
"We're in neutral ground. It's a special place between Heaven and Land."  
Wolfwood raised an eyebrow.  
"Not Heaven and Earth?"  
"No, there are too many planets to say that."  
"Huh?"  
"There's a planet called Earth."  
Milly replied. There was something in her voice, something that made her sound very mature; very _old_... he turned to look at her, and saw how the gentle winds lifted her brown hair, her eyes looking out at a distance, looking somewhat... wise.  
"Are you really Milly?"  
He asked. Milly looked taken back for a moment; then she let out a tinkling laugh.  
"Wow, you're perceptive! You're correct. I am not who you call Milly."  
He ought to have felt guarded against the stranger, but strangely, he didn't. Perhaps he couldn't; it was neutral ground, where the beings were both equal.  
"Then who are you?"  
He asked.  
"I am one who helps God decide who gets a second chance to live, and who doesn't."  
"To live...?"  
Wolfwood thought for a moment, and suddenly, something snapped in him, and memories came rushing back. Vash, Meryl, Milly, green apples, Chapel, a rain of bullets... his last visit to church, blood and life slowly leaking out of him as he prayed his last prayer... then... death...!  
"I'm dead!!"  
He gasped in shock.   
"You are."  
Said Milly, nodding as though she had expected this sort of reaction.  
"Did you say you help God decide who gets a second chance to live?"  
"Yes, I did."  
"Well... uhm... what do you judge me by? How well I served God?"  
Milly thought about that for a moment before shaking her head.  
"Well, yes, but no. It mostly depends on how you died. So tell me... why are you here?"  
Wolfwood didn't know where to begin. So, he decided he would tell her from the very beginning; his childhood.  
He spoke about his first murder; the first time he held a gun, how right it had felt in his hand, but how wrong it had felt deep inside.  
He talked about joining the Gung-ho guns, and how he never saw the boss' face, yet had murdered and kill callously for him.  
He talked about how he had become a travelling priest, and how his church had set up an orphanage that had taught him that there was more to life than killing.  
He went on, talking about meeting Vash, when Milly interrupted him.  
"Vash?"  
"Yeah, you know him?"  
"Well, I don't know if I do. Does he have blond hair? Mole under his eye?"  
"His right eye, to be exact. You do know him."  
Milly nodded.  
"I do."  
"Well, I was looking for him when my motorcycle broke down."  
"Why were you looking for him?"  
"Well, to kill him. Boss' orders."  
Milly looked distraught.  
"I see... continue."  
"Well, I thought I was going to die in the heat of the sun, when suddenly, a bus stops in front of me! Believe my luck or not, it was Vash who'd spotted me. And guess what?"  
He told her about his first fears; his first fears of Vash's powers, of what Vash was capable of - what he'd been told.  
But when he saw just how incredibly nice the gangly moron was to humans, particularly to two girls he was travelling with at the time--  
"Two girls?"  
"Yeah. One big girl and one small one. You... you look like the big one."  
Milly tilted her head to one side.  
"Do I?"  
"You look too much like her. Why do you look like her?"  
"Well, I look like the one you wanted to see most before you died. So I suppose you and her were...?"  
Wolfwood felt a small blush creep up his neck.  
"Well, you could say that."  
"What about the small girl?"  
Wolfwood blinked, then laughed.  
"Oh, her? She likes Vash."  
Milly's eyes widened.  
"Does she?"  
"Oh, yes, she does. And I think, although this is only speculation, mind you, that he's growing rather attatched to her as well."  
He chuckled, before he continued. He spoke of how Vash had changed him; his perspective, his life; everything. Then he described to her exactly how he'd died.  
"Although it was what Vash taught me that killed me, I felt something strange. There was no resentment or anger... I just felt that it was worth it, doing what I should've done years ago."  
Milly nodded slowly, before smiling softly, and taking Wolfwood into her arms. She had a very motherly feel to her, and Wolfwood knew that this woman was definitely not Milly.  
"I'm sending you back down. You hear me? You're going to live."  
Wolfwood smiled gratefully.  
"Thank you. I really appreciate this, you know. There's so much I have left to do."  
"Just remember that no matter what happens, nothing is pre-determined. Your ticket to the future is blank - you choose what you do and what happens when you do."  
Wolfwood nodded, noting the warm, slowly brightening glow that was coming from within him.  
"Why am I glowing?"  
"Oh, that. I'm just returning you back to your body, don't worry."  
"Goodbye, then."  
"Good luck."  
The glow brightened to a bright, white light that engulfed his vision.   
When he next opened his eyes, he was taking in a full breath of life into his lungs, and although he began to cough at the dried blood that clogged his throat, he felt a great sense of joy as he realised that he was alive.  
  
A faintly worn ceiling met his eyes as he opened them.  
Groaning slightly, he turned his head as best as he could, and saw a small girl, her small face framed with brown curls. Her eyes widened at the sight of his awakening. "Daddy!! Daddy, he's awake!!"  
Her shrill voice almost made Wolfwood wince, but he managed to sit up. He noticed how skinny he was; he could see his ribs, and he had barely strength to move quickly. Footsteps could be heard; a tall, bearded man rushed in. He looked at Wolfwood, and let out a sigh of relief.  
"Man, I was worried ya wouldn't wake up!"  
"Wh-...where am I?"  
He croaked, his throat feeling parched.  
"Ya been out for weeks; in coma, I should think - ye were found by our town."  
Wolfwood had so many questions, but the little girl had just handed him a clay cup filled with water; he drank the cool liquid and felt it revive him as it slid down his throat. "Found?"  
He finally asked, after he had drunk his fill. The man nodded, now sitting down on a stool next to him.  
"Rescue teams. Sent 'em out after we heard of those disappearin' people. Found ye in a church - we thought ya were dead, but when we carried ye out, ya started coughing. I let you stay in me house until ya recovered."  
"Thank you."  
Wolfwood said in all sincerity, wondering how on earth he'd survived. He'd definitely died; he was sure he felt his soul leave him... Then he remembered something.   
The flurry of rose petals, the sweet singing.... Milly...!  
He had to get better, quick. When he had put on a bit of flesh, he would get up and go find her again. The real one, he told himself. He would also find Vash and tell him... thank you. Then he'd go off and help him beat the crap out of Knives, if he could. Oh, and he'd attempt to get Meryl to pluck up a bit of courage.  
Yep, he still had a lot to do.   
He accepted the bowl of soup he was handed, and drank with a strongly burning desire to live.  
  
And when he found her again, not only was she crying, but he found himself also spilling tears.  
The first time he'd cried of joy.  
  
_End Flashback_   
  



	23. Chapter Twenty-one: Cream Soup

  
**Chapter Twenty-one: Cream Soup**   
  
[A/N]: _Unexpected help... to you, anyways! ^^;; [End A/N]_   
  
Vash shut the door to the doctor's office, and turned to face Milly. She was fiddling with the hem of her cloak, and looked up quickly upon the sound of the door shutting.  
"He's going to be fine."  
Vash said. Milly sighed heavily in relief.  
"That's great! Is he still asleep?"  
"Like a baby."  
Vash replied, causing Milly to giggle. There was a short pause before Vash looked very seriously at Milly.  
"Who did it?"  
Milly stopped smiling immediately to look at Vash, biting her lip.  
"That... man. The man wh-who shot Meryl."  
Vash froze. Then he balled his hands into fists, his eyes stricken with anger.  
"I see."  
He said, then looked away from Milly to think. Milly needed answers.   
"Who _is_ that man? Do you know, Vash-san?"  
Unfortunately for Milly, Vash wasn't the one who had them.  
"...I don't know. But... he knew that I..."  
He trailed off, making Milly frown.  
"What did he know?"  
"He knew that I was half-plant. Well, a plant in human form anyway."  
He ran a hand through his hair, still ridden in thought.  
How was he supposed to find this stupid Temaskals guy again? Was he supposed to wait for contact, or was he supposed to run out and shout out to the sands that he was willing to negotiate? Then again, did _he_ want to negotiate with a man who had nearly killed Meryl -- and, although he hadn't told Milly how serious Wolfwood's condition had been, Wolfwood?  
"Uhm, Vash-san?"  
"Yes?"  
Vash answered distractedly. Milly looked nervously at him. She didn't like it when he looked like he was thinking hard. It wasn't something she was particularly used to - at least, not from Vash.  
"Do-- do you know how to stop him?"  
"I don't even know how to find him."  
Vash said, frustration growing in him. He had a feeling that if he didn't stop the psycho, he'd go trampling over Milly, then towns and cities, just to bite on his nerves... then he realised something.  
There _was_ a way to find him.  
"But... I think I know someone who does."  
He searched Milly's blue eyes for a moment. They were full of concern, but were also set in determination. Vash knew that he probably couldn't stop her from coming with him. He took a deep breath, before saying,  
"Let's go."  
Milly nodded.  
  
He was warming cream soup in a saucepan when he heard several knocks sound on the door to his cabin.  
"Who is it?"  
He called out, throwing a handful of sand into the fire of the stove to stifle some of the heat.  
"It's me..., Vash."  
A pain stabbed at his head, but he had grown so accustomed to the sudden pangs that he simply ignored it as he approached his door.  
"Hey!"  
He greeted the blonde man warmly, and waved a little to the brown-haired girl behind him, adding,  
"I see the big girl's with you?"  
Vash nodded vaguely before asking,  
"Uhm, can we come in?"  
"Sure."  
He swung the door open and let them walk in, the big girl trailing behind Vash in a cautious sort of manner. He joined the two at his table after lifting the saucepan off the stove and onto a folded pad of cloth to let it cool.  
"Where's the priesty guy and the smaller girl?"  
He asked curiously, observing the way the big girl chewed her lower lip and how Vash was running a hand through his hair more times than necessary.  
"Well... I'm here because of them... sort of."  
Vash answered. His eyes widened at Vash's reply.  
"Oh! Did they go missing?"  
Then he grinned a little as he said slyly,  
"I thought you and the smaller girl were kind of..."  
He held up his little finger and winked at Vash, causing Vash to laugh and rub at the back of his neck embarrassedly.  
"No! They didn't elope!"  
Vash said, laughing,  
"I mean, they were attacked."  
He stopped grinning to look at Vash with a dropped jaw.  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yeah. That's what brings me here. I was kind of hoping you'd know where I could find the attacker."  
He looked worriedly at Vash.  
"Are they okay?"  
"They will be, soon."  
Vash replied.  
Part of the memory that had been revived of his included information about most of the bounty hunters on the planet. He also received intelligence from people he didn't know - or perhaps, didn't remember - about the strangest wackos and random companies. Most of the companies involved heavy usage of plants, but he didn't know why he got these contacts. He supposed one day, he'd remember, like Vash continuously told him.  
"Go on, then. Describe the guy."  
Vash sighed, closing his eyes. His brow furrowed, as though he was trying to remember, and then spoke slowly.  
"He had red hair, I think. Yeah, red hair, with this... copper streak in it."  
A faint image flashed across his mind at Vash's words.  
"Go on."  
"Light-red-pale-brown-kind-of-goldish-pinkish-no, yellowish-no, also pinkish-also orangey-tinted eyes."  
"Amber."  
The big girl explained. Vash nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, amber. Amber eyes."  
The image cleared.  
"Sturdy build?"  
He asked. Vash nodded eagerly.  
"You know him?"  
"Yeah. I think we tried to recruit him."  
His eyes flew open in surprise.  
"Huh?"  
Vash patted his back.  
"Don't worry, it's just a memory pang. You'll remember soon enough."  
Vash said with a smile. He nodded slowly before continuuing,  
"Well, I don't what I'd try to recruit him into, nor do I know who 'we' include, but anyhow, I met him before. He tried to attack me too, but he was overcome easily. He was left alone."  
Vash nodded.  
"Who is he?"  
"He was this guy. Some lap-dog of this wacko professor who worked in this laboratory in the middle of the desert. Should still be working there, infact - got a card from it a week ago."  
"Lap-dog?"  
He tapped a finger to his temple as he racked his memories of the red-head.  
"If I remember correctly, he was a quarter or something plant. Had interesting powers, but didn't know how to use it properly. Loathed his professor, but got mad when we insulted him. Weird guy who seemed a bit nutty to me."  
He paused, remembering,  
"And just this morning I heard that he did something to some waitress at a town close by here."  
He scratched his head as he thought.  
"Uh... oh yeah, he calls himself 'Rederine the Temaski'."  
Vash snapped his fingers, his eyes widening.  
"That's it!"  
Vash exclaimed before he paused, then asked interestedly,  
"What's the laboratory for?"  
"Uhm... it's on one of those papers over there,"  
He said, pointing to a stack of them at the center of the table by a cactus plant,  
"You can search if you want. Have you had lunch already?"  
The two nodded. The pages were already in their hands, their eyes scanning as their fingers flicked through the pages. Sweatdropping a little, he added helpfully,  
"It's got the name 'Corman' in it."  
before he went back to his soup. Humming a little, he stirred creamy texture around before tipping it into a bowl, and carried it out with a spoon as the big girl's voice cried out,  
"Vash-san! I found it!"  
He sat down at the table as Vash and the girl read the paper carefully.  
"'Corman Labs. Inc.'"  
Vash muttered, his eyes searching for the address.  
"Oh, here it is. Midnight Desert."  
Said the big girl, standing up from her seat.  
"That's just a little west of here."  
Vash added, standing up as well.  
"Going already? Must be in a hurry."  
He said, a spoon of cream soup halfway to his mouth.  
"Sorry, we just need to leave before the attacker does anything else."  
The big girl explained apologetically.  
"Can I keep this?"  
Vash asked. He nodded, and waved as the two walked quickly towards the door.  
"Thanks!"  
The big girl called out gratefully.  
"Yeah, me too!"  
Vash added, already outside of the cabin.  
"You're welcome."  
He said, shaking his head with a chuckle as he heard the blonde gunman's footsteps bound away from his cabin.  
"Absolutely crazy."  
He muttered with a grin.  
His ice-blue eyes reflected upon the back of the metal spoon before he dug into his soup.  
  
"When will he recover fully?"  
Milly asked Vash quietly. Vash shrugged.  
"Soon."  
He replied. Vash felt much better now that he knew where to go.  
"So let's go to this laboratory."  
Vash looked around the area. The cabin was isolated, although it was for a good reason. Vash looked around the area, relieved that they'd been close to the town in which the cabin had been close to.  
"Can I drive again?"  
Milly asked Vash eagerly as they walked towards the rented car.   
Vash remembered the wonky car-ride they'd just had, thanks to Milly's over-enthusiasm over the wheel.  
"Uhm, actually, you must be a bit tired now... I think I'll drive this time."  
He said with a heavy hint.   
"Oh, but I'm not tired at all!"  
Said the oblivious Milly brightly.  
"I think I'll drive this time."  
Vash repeated.  
"But I mean it, I'm really not--"  
"I'll drive."  
"Oh... okay."  
  
  
I know I don't get many reviews for this, but I thought I might as well complete what I've started. Don't worry, I _will_ finish this. There actually is an ending planned out, so please; I know my updates are completely random, but please bear with me, 'kay? ^^;; Thanks for your patience and reviews!!~...... and sorry~! ^^;;;;  
  
  



	24. Chapter Twenty-two: A Quicksand Diversio...

  
**Chapter Twenty-two: A Quicksand Diversion**   
  
  
  
It was a windless night that was inked completely black. Only a few pinpricks of bright white were visible amongst the endless stretch of darkness, and a pale pink moon gave light to the path of the dark-tan, run-down car that was travelling on the sands.  
  
Small clouds of dust and sand rose behind the tires that created a soft patter as it fell, and the tires made a quiet noise as it grinded against the sand grains. The engine had quieted to a hum, and other than that, there was no other noise; not even from the driver.  
  
Vash's hand on steering-wheel was tight, his expression unreadable.  
  
He was no longer in the mood to joke around, laugh, or even converse with the girl next to him, who was glancing at him nervously through her blue eyes.  
  
It was too silent for her.  
  
She cleared her throat almost nervously, before smiling brightly.  
  
"Uhm... the stars are very bright today. Even though they're so small..."  
  
Milly's cheerful attempt to break the silence was awkward, and seemed to penetrate the night. She silenced and looked away from Vash. Somehow, she knew she hadn't been ignored.  
As her eyes traced the rise and fall of the sand dunes they passed, her thoughts slowly began to turn over the facts, one by one.  
  
A man had appeared. A man with fiery red hair, amber eyes and a sinister smile.  
  
He had somehow managed to kidnap Meryl and had tortured her...  
  
A sheen of tears coated Milly's eyes, and she quickly blinked to rid herself of the memory - the cuts, the bruises, the blood - and quickly brought herself back to what she'd been thinking about before.  
  
The man had destroyed a building to attract Vash's attention.  
  
Then, introducing himself as Rederine the Temaski, he shot Meryl in the back, inflicting immense pain unto Vash.  
  
Her throat constricted as the unearthly cry Vash had let out at the time resounded in her mind.   
  
As though he could sense Milly's uneasiness, Vash's eyes flickered towards her. She betrayed her thoughts with a small smile, letting Vash's eyes rest upon the sands before them, and her smile faded.  
  
She gave herself a mental shake to shatter the disturbing wail and continued to reorganise her thoughts.  
  
Through what Vash called a miracle, Meryl had survived the shot, but the fact that she had nearly died was enough to anger Vash.  
  
Then, what could only be what made things worse, Wolfwood had been attacked and sadistically strung up like a--  
  
Milly's thoughts came to a halt. She closed her eyes, composing her thudding heart as she bit her lip. The image of the priest, tied up and bleeding, his wrists limp and the nape of his neck bared, flashed behind Milly's lids for a split second... she shuddered inwardly at the realisation that she had never seen look Wolfwood so vunerable before.   
  
And now that Rederine the Temaski had gone too far, Vash had decided to settle the score by meeting the man face to face.  
  
Through combat or through negotiation? Milly had a feeling that Vash was going to leave that choice to Rederine, which meant they were definitely headed into a fight.   
  
That man, Rederine the Temaski... Milly's eyes slowly opened as she realised that he had the power to make Vash feel something beyond despair..., to make Priest-san seem so defenceless...!  
  
This time, Milly's shiver was physical, and diverted Vash's attention so much that they both let out audible gasps as the front of the car tires sprayed a sheet of sand onto their windshield, letting out a high-pitched squeal as it struggled against the pool of quicksand.  
  
"Wonderful."  
  
Vash commented as he and Milly clambered out of the car. They looked at the tires slowly sinking into the ground, both wondering the same thing.  
  
Did they leave the car here, or did they hike the rest of the way?  
  
"How much further do we have to go, Vash-san?"  
Milly asked.   
  
"Several iles."  
Vash replied.  
  
They exchanged glances before simultaneously bending over to push the car out of the sand. Vash nudged Milly's elbow, an eyebrow raised.  
  
"You sit in the driver's seat. I'll push."  
  
"Eh? But--"  
  
"I can manage."  
  
Vash shifted his footing around to ensure that there was only space for one person. Provided that he stood at an angle to the car and his foot didn't decide to slip and sink into the sandy whirlpool, it was possible to push the car out of the sand.  
  
"Okay."  
Milly climbed back into the car, but into the driver's seat.  
  
"Now, I'm going to heave, and when you feel the car moving backwards, gun the engine and back out, right?"  
  
Milly nodded, a twinkle of excitement shining in her eyes as her hands held the wheel. Vash had a feeling that if Wolfwood hadn't existed he might have asked Milly to push with him.  
  
Rubbing his hands together, Vash took a sucked in his breath before he placed his hands infront of the car, heaving his whole weight against the steel plates and letting out an involuntary grunt.  
  
Milly sweatdropped in her seat as nothing seemed to happen. After a few minutes of ceaseless shoving that proved useless, Milly remembered something.  
  
Amber eyes that were half-shaded, bright and vivid in violent colour but held something else, an emotion that was covered by what Milly saw and recognised as hatred... but beneath the hatred...  
  
_ "W-well, you didn't have t-to try and k-kill sempai, and Wolfwood-s-san!!"_  
  
The expression after her words had held so much pain and sadness Milly had been shocked.  
  
_ "I'll be seeing you again."_  
  
His words rang as echoes in Milly's mind, and were stained with the same feelings of endless pain and tears.  
  
I've seen that look so many times, Milly realised with widening eyes.  
  
His expression and his expression... they're the same...!  
  
That Rederine guy is just like--  
  
"HEY!! Big girl?!! I think the car--"  
  
Startled, Milly let out a surprised  
  
"Oh!"  
  
before pressing down the pedal with a stamp and pulling out of the quicksands with a _vrrooom--screech_.   
  
"Wow, Vash-san! I didn't think we could manage so quickly!"  
  
Milly exclaimed in delight.  
  
Spitting out a mouthful of sand - having just been showered with it--, Vash managed to croak out,  
  
"No problem."  
  
before shaking himself and tapping some sand out of his ear as he slid back into the car. He was about to reach for the steering wheel when Milly sang out,  
  
"I'll drive now! You must be exhausted from all that work!"  
  
Sighing resignedly, Vash shrank into his seat and closed his eyes.  
  
"Aaa... you could say that..."  
  
He was no match for Milly's excitement. She grinned widely and cried out enthusiastically,  
  
"Let's go!!"  
  
Vash let out a yelp that faded away into the distance as the car swerved wildly to the right before zooming forward at top-speed.  
  
  
  
  
A clink of a spoon against its bowl in the sink of warm, soapy water sounded before several sharp knocks against his door did.  
  
"Vash? Is that you?"  
  
He asked, walking towards his door as he dried his hands on a piece of cloth.  
  
"Not exactly."  
  
Came the hesitant reply behind the door. He opened it just a fraction, but ended up flinging the door open wide.  
  
"Whoa, what are you doing here?"  
  
"'Got wind that Vash might be here, see..."  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Yeah, two or three hours ago, actually. Missed him."  
  
"Any idea where he is?"  
  
Turning around, he nodded again with a smile,  
  
"Come in, I'm sure he left the address on the table..."  
  
  
  
  
Rederine the Temaski was not amused to find that a vehicle was fast-approaching the laboratory of Corman Labs Inc.  
  
He was even less amused when he caught glimpse of a red jacket and a glint of amber-tinted sunglasses.  
  
The sight of the girl who had shot him with a stungun just yesterday made Rederine's eyes narrow in displeasure.  
  
"How the hell did he find out,"  
  
He muttered, his eyes following the trailing cloud of sand in the midst of the car. He sat up from his post and glanced round to the front of the laboratory.  
  
"Now... do I let them to enter, or do I stop them?"  
  
He mused out loud, only to be interrupted by a sharp crackle of static by his waist.   
  
"Let who enter, exactly?"  
  
The voice of the professor came, clipped and curt. Rederine scowled, wishing he'd remembered to turn it off before shaking his head irritably and lifting the contraption to his lips.  
  
"Vash the Stampede."  
  
There was a brief pause as Rederine waited for the predictable reaction of the professor. Sure enough, the professor's voice started again, this time hushed and excited.  
  
"A-are you sure? He's coming himself?"  
  
"Yes, he's coming, professor."  
  
Rederine replied, concealing with difficulty the annoyance in his voice.  
  
"Is he alone?"  
  
"No, sir. He's accompanied by a girl."  
  
"How did he find out?"  
"I told him, sir. Through an innocent source."  
  
Rederine lied, wondering if the red-coated freak would shoot the door down or do anything else that might wear his welcome. He'd better not, Rederine thought.  
  
"Excellent."  
  
The professor's voice was pleased; absolutely delighted. Rederine felt his stomach churn, and a wave of nausea passed the bridge of his nose.  
  
"Escort them inside."  
  
There was a click, and the connection was dead. The professor had obviously cut the line in order to prepare for the coming of the half-human.  
  
Rederine grinned twistedly. Escort them inside?  
  
Perhaps, he thought as the car neared the front metal doors of the lab. Although it might be a bit different according to the professor's plans... perhaps.  
  
  
  
  
Vash felt their speed before they even came. He had just enough time to yell out in frustration,  
  
"CRAP!!"  
  
before throwing a hand onto Milly's back and pulling them both down. The bullets embedded themselves into the top of their seats as the car skid around on the sand randomly.  
  
Milly let out a scream as a huge force rammed into the side of the car, jerking the car up aimlessly before it landed on its side with a violent crunch of metal.  
  
Cursing through clenched teeth, Vash opened his eyes to find himself jammed into the car-seat. Turning to Milly, he saw her face pressed against the front glass, blood tricking from her hairline to her chin.   
  
Blinking blood out of his own eyes, Vash glanced down to his left hand, which was somehow stuck in an intricate mass of twisted metal. He began to tug at his wrist with his other hand when he heard a soft footfall behind him in the sands.   
  
The next moment he knew, Vash was hit with shocking force at the back of his head, forcing his jaw to jut forward as white-hot pain shot through his skull.   
  
Blue and red splotches blotting his vision, Vash twisted round and caught sight of the tip of a dark-brown boot and an orange flash of fabric.  
  
"--You--!!"  
  
Vash gasped, but another blow to his temple rolled Vash's eyes to the back his head, his whole body falling limp.  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: I'm trying a new format. Is this way easier to read, or the other format? ^^;; No idea, but thanks soooo much for your reviews... you probably have no idea how much they encourage me. Anyhow, I hope you don't forget too much of the story... this half-summarised most of what happened in-case you did forget, anyways. ^^;; Thanks again for your reviews - I appreciate them tons!! >_^]  
  
  



	25. Chapter Twenty-three: Restricted?

  
**Chapter Twenty-three: Restricted?**   
  
  
  
Vash stirred slightly from his unconciousness, adjusting his senses to his surroundings before remembering the car ride and their fall.  
  
Eyes flickering as they opened, he could only see darkness, but the fuzzy outlines of metal beams and plastic wiring ran across the ceiling.  
  
Attempting to move, he found restrictions on his forehead, wrists, arms, ankles, knees and waist. The absence of his coat and buckles, save his underwear, was cold enough to make Vash give a slight shiver.  
  
"He's awake, professor."  
  
The sudden sound made Vash start, although he couldn't do much in his state, and was temporarily blinded by the glare of hot, white light that shone directly above him.  
  
He squinted down and realised he was on some sort of metal platform. Wires ran all over him, and some clear, plasting tubes had been driven into his veins. His muscles felt slackened, and Vash knew that he'd been drugged heavily for this. The restrictions were grips in the form of wide, thick bands of a strange, silvery plastic that were nailed into the platform.  
  
A sudden shadow loomed over him, and Vash caught the flash off the man's glasses.  
  
White lab coat, balding head of greyish-white and a triumphant, yet fascinated grin full of browning teeth.  
  
Another darkened shape caused Vash to narrow his eyes in anger.  
  
Rederine smiled serenely back at him.  
  
"Welcome, Vash the Stampede."  
  
Vash's attention was brought back to the other man.  
  
"You're in one of the Corman Labs. Inc laboratories, which are scattered around the planet. We study plants, and you happen to be one of our experimental subjects. In fact..."  
  
The man's grin revealed more teeth as he trilled,  
  
"...you're our most important one."  
  
"Wh-who are you?"  
Vash croaked, his voice cracking slightly from dryness. He strained to get a better look at the man in the white coat. The red-head remained silent, though his serene smile had vanished to be replaced with a sort of grimace.  
  
"I am the founder of Corman Labs. Inc -- professor Locke Sherque Corman, sixth in line of the Corman scientist legacy. This is my..., 'assistant', Rederine the Temaski."  
  
A clipboard hovered upwards, a pen furiously scribbling onto the paper as a crazed look crept into Corman's eyes.  
  
"The name of Corman, however, has been ridiculed, put down, absolutely made a fool out of... just because of..."  
  
His eyes hardened as he stole a glance at Rederine, who ignored him.  
  
"...a certain incident. However... you are the key, Vash the Stampede!!"  
  
The maniacal glint returned, his gaze now to Vash.  
  
"I've always wondered about plants, Vash the Stampede. Always thought they were a mystery... but now, I will be able to find out about them!! Where they come from, who they are, what they can do...! You, Vash the Stampede, are the link between us and them. And with you, we might be able to create special plant-humans that are adapted fully to our environment.  
  
"Imagine that, Vash the Stampede! Plant-humans strong enough to crush boulders with a sweep of an arm; so intelligent they can calculate the hardest problems, build the highest tower; supply us with enough energy to last us billions and billions of years!"  
  
The professor excitedly looked down at Vash, who felt nauseated and disgusted. Had Meryl and Wolfwood nearly been killed just so that these psychos could study him?  
  
"I usually wouldn't subdue you this badly, but Rederine has reported brash resistance from you, Vash the Stampede. Therefore I would suggest that it is highly appreciated - and it is for the better - if you would try to resist any of our experiments."  
  
Struggling was futile and useless, and Vash knew it. However, it was difficult to conceal his wince when something started to whirr and hum in the background, and his own blood was visibly sucked through one of the plastic tubes leading from his arm.  
  
Professor Corman's gloved fingers pressed against the metal grating against his heart, and his eyes and nostrils widened in excitement.  
  
"You are so very interesting, Vash the Stampede.... a normal human would not have survived what you have been through...."  
  
A violent shudder ran through Vash's body as the gloved hand examined the scars on his chest with perverse interest.  
  
"Where's the big girl?"  
Vash rasped, glaring the best he could at the man.  
  
"Oh, her? She has been drugged and taken away."  
  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
Vash growled, his eyes narrowing. Not only was Milly a close friend, but Wolfwood was going to throw himself out the window if anything happened to her.  
  
"Well, she's in another room right now. Oh, which reminds me..."  
  
The professor smiled almost eagerly as he continued,  
  
"She's pregnant... is she pregnant, by any chance, with _your_...?"  
  
Vash gritted his teeth as he felt something suck out of the sole of his foot.  
  
"NO,"  
He shot back angrily, wiping the smile off the professor's face,  
"and I suggest you let her go."  
  
"Why should we?"  
  
It was the first time Rederine had spoken in front of Vash since he had woken up.  
  
"Because she had nothing to do with this."  
Vash snapped, his eyes trailing a white liquid being extracted from his knee-cap warily.  
  
"Oh, but she'd go back and find your darling friends, and after they recover, they might come here."  
  
Vash let out a harsh laugh.  
  
"In that case, I suppose I don't want to wait around for you to leave so you can kill them."  
  
He clenched his fists tightly, and his whole body tensed and grew rigid as he tried to gather enough energy to break out of the plastic bands.  
  
However, after several minutes of straining, Vash knew that there was something definitely wrong. He let out a puff of wasted breath, his eyes clouding in confusion.  
  
_Numbing drugs don't work on me the way they work on humans because our chemistry differs so much, _ Vash thought; _so what's going on?_   
  
Rederine jammed a needle of a syringe into Vash's turned wrist, causing Vash to suck in his breath painfully. The professor was not in view, although Vash could still sense that he was in the room.  
  
"Just in case you forgot, I'm a quarter of a plant,"  
Rederine drawled, his eyes darkening. He pushed in the chemical in the syringe into Vash's bloodstream, taking his time as Vash breathed jerkily from the pain.  
"The professor has run several tests on me, and has come up with a drug that affects plants as well."  
  
"I-is that so,"  
Vash said with difficulty as the chemical brought a strange heaviness to his head, as though a huge weight was pressuring him.  
  
The professor swam into view, carrying several glass phials. Vash caught the glint of a blade in his other hand.   
  
"Don't worry,"  
said the professor's voice. It sounded as though he was speaking behind a pane of glass, and Vash struggled to keep his conciousness as the voice said with false assurance,  
"it's not going to hurt you."  
  
Rederine appeared to stiffen as a sharp pain awoke Vash's senses for a split second, but immediately plunged into a black-hole of confusion and nothingness. His vision fractured and blurred as a numbness came like a thick and suffocating blanket, and the last thing Vash saw before he blacked out was the shiny surface of the knife.  
  
  
  
  
"Hum de hum hum. Hum hum de dumdedum. Hum hum--"  
  
"Stop singing."  
  
Wolfwood pouted as he looked out his side of the window, his eyes lingering on the steering wheel that was being held by the hands of the small insurance girl.  
  
"Oh come on, give me a break here,"  
  
He begged, looking at her with all the puppy-sadness he could muster,  
  
"I'm getting a stiff neck here from not being able to drive..."  
  
"No, you're getting a stiff neck from not being on the lookout,"  
Meryl countered, her eyes glancing at Wolfwood in a wary manner,  
  
"and if we fall into quicksand I will soooo kill you."  
  
"Okay, okay,"  
  
Wolfwood grumbled, looking through the sheet of glass before him in the manner of someone sulking. Having just woken up only a few hours ago, and then to be taken charge of by the small girl...   
  
"Hum hum de dum,"  
Wolfwood began, and Meryl snapped,  
"If you sing that awfully toneless tune again I will ditch you in the nearest quicksand hole, got it?"  
  
"If you can,"  
Wolfwood grinned, and Meryl had to laugh.  
  
"Okay, I'll drive the car into the nearest quicksand hole but get out before it sinks."  
"Hey, that means I'll have the car!"  
Wolfwood joked in half-hearted excitement, and Meryl smiled.  
  
"Do you know that you're acting a lot like a certain brown-haired friend of mine?"  
  
"What?"  
Wolfwood asked, startled,  
"She wouldn't joke around,"  
  
"No, she wouldn't,"  
Meryl agreed,  
"But she would definitely whine about not being able to drive."  
  
Wolfwood looked out at the sand that stretched out before them. The skies were beginning to lighten, causing a few grains to turn the soft rays of light into white pricks of crystal. He squinted at a strange looking swirl of sand before jabbing Meryl in the general direction of her arm.  
  
"Ow, ow, what's wrong--"  
  
"It's a quicksand hole,"  
Wolfwood said, his eye catching on a something in the sand that was dull but starting to reflect the twin-sun's rays with a metallic shine,  
"and I think I see something else..."  
  
Meryl stopped the car so they could see where they had to drive around. Wolfwood walked and stooped over to pick up the mysterious object before it could slip into the edge of the quicksand.  
  
It was a silver six-shooter.  
  
A very familiar, silver six-shooter.  
  
"Uh oh. Major no good."  
  
Wolfwood said, turning the gun in his hand round. _It has to be Tongari's,_ he thought grimly, _it's not like you see two of the same custom-made gun everywhere you go._  
  
"What's wrong? I-- oh."  
  
Meryl's face fell at the sight of the gun. She swallowed.  
  
"Uhm... you don't think he...?"  
She gestured towards the slowly shifting sands of quicksand, and Wolfwood shook his head vehemently.  
  
"He wouldn't lose grip on his gun. If he was falling, he'd take extra care to not lose it."  
  
Meryl nodded, taking the six-shooter out of Wolfwood's hands and running a thumb across it. As it rubbed lightly against her gash, she felt a sudden jolt of pain to her chest.  
  
Letting out a choked groan of pain, she clutched at her chest, making Wolfwood look at her in alarm.  
  
"Is it your injury?!"  
  
"I'm fine,"  
Meryl gasped, and clutching the gun tightly to her chest she squeezed her eyes shut.   
  
The pain soon dulled to a faint ache, and she opened her eyes. Wolfwood looked at her worriedly.  
  
"You shouldn't over-exert yourself, even if it's for Tongari,"  
He said gently. Meryl shook her head.  
  
"I'm fine,"  
She repeated, when she suddenly grinned.  
  
"and _you're_ allowed to over-exert yourself for Milly, I see,"  
  
Wolfwood ran a hand sub-conciously over the scars on his neck that had remained from the threads, and only shrugged.  
  
"I've been through worse."  
He said off-handedly, and Meryl rolled her eyes.  
  
"Riiight. And Doctor Lonners told you to be extra careful not to burst those stitches."  
She retorted, tossing the six-shooter back to Wolfwood and heading towards the car.  
  
But inwardly Meryl wasn't feeling so fine.   
_I don't feel good about this at all,_ Meryl thought with a slight frown,  
_I have a feeling that red-clad moron is up to his neck in trouble... or he's going through something bad. That's what my gut-feeling tells me._  
  
"Hey, he told you the exact same thing!"  
Wolfwood protested, and hastily managed reach the car before Meryl, scooting into the driver's seat and fastening the seatbelt before she could do or say anything.  
  
"Okay, now, let's go. I hope he told us the correct address."  
Meryl let out a groan.  
  
"You have bad luck with vehicles,"  
She grumbled, and he laughed.  
  
"Not really,"  
He replied, turning the car around the circle of quicksand,  
"just with motorcycles."  
  
  
  
  
As Milly's soft-blue eyes slowly began to register upon a metal grating in the floor, a pain in her head brought her up to her knees.  
  
"Araa?"  
  
She looked around, her eyes widening as she realised she was in a room of metal walls, with only a single, dull light-bulb above her. There was no recognisable door. She winced suddenly, and took her fingers gingerly to her temple. She felt a caked amount of dried blood, and sighed, bringing her hand away from the cut.  
  
"Uhm, let's see..."  
  
She thought out loud, looking at the metal grating,  
  
"I'm in a room I don't know. I think that amber-eyed man put me in here. Oh no, what are they doing with Vash-san?!"  
  
She bit her thumb-nail before continuing,  
  
"So I'm alone, and I should probably get out of here somehow..."  
  
Then she giggled and patted her stomach.  
  
"Okay, so I'm not completely alone, am I?"  
  
She then looked around. The only openings she could see was the metal grate, which was wide enough to fit three or four donuts, a ventilation grate above that would have fit two of her comfortably that appeared to be nailed down with iron, and a circle of a silvery plastic directly above on the ceiling that kept the light above.  
  
Seeing no choice, she stood up to attempt the silver plastic when she nearly jumped out of her wits to hear and feel something slip from her coat and crash onto the floor.  
  
As the echoes faded, Milly opened an eye from between her fingers to find...  
  
Her stungun?  
  
"Araraa?"  
  
She bent down, surprised, her stungun plainly intact, and was even more surprised to find a slip of paper with it.  
  
_Run away if you can._  
  
Milly stared at the sentence on the paper, turning it around and looking at it upside-down but wielding no clues to the bearer. But Milly knew who had written it.  
  
"That amber-eyed man, he isn't that bad, is he?"  
She said to her stomach with a smile. Then she hitched up her stungun with a determined look set on her face.  
  
"I can get out now,"  
Milly sang happily,   
"I think I'll start with _this_!"  
  
She loaded the stungun with a grin that lit her eyes.  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: Hum de hum hum... not sure how this made you peeps react... I don't know if I'm sadistic with Vash and the experiments now, actually... Oh well - even though I wrote it, I guess I can still feel icky about it. Anyhow, just hope that the others get to Vash before it gets too gruesome... his fate lies in your reviews.... *laughs*]  
  
  



	26. Chapter Twenty-four: Too Easy

  
**Chapter Twenty-four: Too Easy**   
  
  
  
Milly was not having too much fun at the moment.  
  
Her back was starting to ache as she crawled through the metal ventilation system, and her fingers kept slipping, resulting in several bruises on her chin.  
  
"Am I going the right way?"  
  
She wondered out loud as she continued down the pipe-like system. Her stungun was in front of her, properly loaded in case she met any obstacle.  
  
"Araa? Is that an opening?"  
  
She eagerly crawled towards the one end of the pipe, hoping all the choices she had made with all the forks in the twists and turns she'd met hadn't been unlucky. She pressed her fingers against the grating, and sighed when she found it nailed down securely.  
  
"Oh well, here goes..."  
  
The cross-shot blasted the grating away easily, and Milly started to make her way out when she heard several voices outside.  
  
"Wh-what is this??"  
  
Milly sweatdropped.  
  
"Halt!!"  
  
A voice cried as Milly slowly stood up from a space just outside the vent opening,  
  
"Who goes there?"  
  
They looked like a bunch of uniformed guards - three of them, to be exact.  
  
"Hi, I'm Milly! Nice to meet you!"  
  
Milly said brightly with a smile. The guards stared at her blankly as she hitched her stungun up.  
  
"Sorry, but I'm in a hurry!"  
  
Her shot slammed into one guard right in the stomach, who fell onto another guard, and her second shot hit the third guard squarely on the chest. Before they knew what was happening, their weapons were shot away from their reach, and they were winded and bruised.  
  
"Sorry again!"  
  
Milly called out as she hurried down a path. She was met with a dead-end, and thus retraced her footsteps back to the fallen guards and rushed down the opposite direction.  
  
"H-halt!"  
  
Croaked a guard weakly before his head flopped weakly onto the floor in defeat.  
  
  
  
  
"Yeah, Lydia was pretty out last night,"  
One guard laughed,  
"said she didn't feel like seeing him."  
  
"Poor Paul,"  
tutted his companion,   
"She's been ignoring him lately--"  
  
He stopped abruptly with his partner when their eyes fell upon several other guards scattered across the floor, groaning weakly.  
  
"C-Craig! And Raust and Garten!!"  
  
They rushed up to the fallen guards in shock, shaking them into conciousness.  
  
"What happened?? Is there an intruder??"  
The second guard cried.  
  
"No,"  
One of the fallen guards croaked,  
"that--, that girl... the tall one. She escaped."  
  
"What?!"  
Asked the first guard, stricken,  
"Are you saying that she's so powerful she overthrew three grown men?!"  
  
"Of course not,"  
Said the fallen guard hastily,  
"She was armed with a stungun."  
  
"She was armed?! --_And_ you _let_ her blast you?"  
The second guard said in surprise.  
  
"We were specifically told by Rederine the Temaski not to hurt her,"  
Whimpered another guard when the loudspeaker suddenly sounded, echoing around the metal walls.  
  
_"May I have your attention please."_  
  
All six guards looked up in surprise.  
  
_"The laboratory is to be off-limits ten minutes from now. I repeat; the laboratory is to be off-limits ten minutes from now."_  
  
"Isn't that Rederine the Temaski's voice?"  
  
Asked the first guard, frowning.  
  
_"And I have something to say."_  
  
There was no formality; there was only regret.  
  
_"This laboratory has been failing since years and years ago. Everyone knew it."_  
  
The guards stared silently at the speaker. He was speaking the truth.  
  
_"All of you knew it. However, you chose to stay; especially those who came when the plan of holding Vash the Stampede as an experiment was introduced. You believed we could win back the glory the name 'Corman' used to bring. Unfortunately, that isn't going to happen."_  
  
A deep, shaky breath was taken before it continued,  
  
_"The time has come for you to leave... permanently."_  
  
The guards looked terribly confused as the voice paused before speaking again in a low, harsh voice,  
  
_"Evacuate the premises as quickly as possible. It's going to end."_  
  
Another shaky breath and Rederine the Temaski concluded,  
  
_"Everything is going to end. Right now. "_  
  
A click, and the voice was gone. The guards looked at each other, confused and wondering when the lights started to blink on and off, white to red to white, and a high-pitched siren began to wail.  
  
Alarmed and shocked, the guards let out gasps and cries as they grabbed hold of their companians and ran as fast as they could to the nearest exit.  
  
  
  
  
Vash opened his eyes groggily, and blinked. His eyes focussed properly on the ceiling, and he sat up.  
  
No restrictions.  
  
"What the--"  
  
Memories were clear and in sharp relief in his mind, but he was not clamped onto the metal platform. He checked himself in surprise, his wrists and ankles red where the strange silvery material and held him, and he had new stitches on his side where he hadn't had any before. But he was not held down, and his body and mind did not feel weighed down with drugs.  
  
Even more surprising, there was a familiarly red coat at one side of the metal platform, draped across a metal stand. Wondering if this was a sadistic trap, Vash cautiously pressed a bare foot onto the floor below. It was cold, chilling Vash, but he could sense no danger.   
  
His eyes widened in pure surprise and confusion when he saw that his buckles, boots, belts and even his sunglasses were laid out.  
  
"What are they playing at...?"  
  
Vash muttered, gingerly picking at his clothes. They seemed perfectly intact and unaffected by anything. Vash pulled on a boot, still confused.  
  
"Too easy,"  
  
He grumbled as he pulled on the other boot,  
  
"way too easy."  
  
  
  
  
"Okay,"  
  
Meryl said as she and Wolfwood came up to a metal pathway,  
  
"I'll look at all the doors on the left side of the corridoor while you look on the right."  
  
Wolfwood nudged a guard on the floor, patting his now open and used cross.  
  
"Sounds okay to me."  
  
He replied, and they split directions to look at the opposite sides of the corridoor.  
  
Meryl looked into the room, and coughed. It was dusty, and it looked like a room that held only glass vials and test tubes.  
  
"Nope, dead end here,"  
  
She muttered, and backed out of the room. Shutting the metal door, she entered the next room, which yielded several delivery tubes and bungs of all sorts.  
  
Wolfwood entered the room on the right, and looked in surprise at the bright light that shone onto him. It was such a tiny room it seemed like a broom cupboard. He might have thought it was one if it hadn't been for the light and the buttons on the back of the wall.  
  
"Buttons?"  
  
He walked into the room curiously, leaving his cross outside, and examined the black buttons interestedly.  
  
Suddenly, the lights began to flash red, blinking on and off while a siren shrilly sounded. Startled, Wolfwood stumbled a little forward and his shoulder pressed in a button.  
  
"Uh oh. Oi, small girl! I think I'm onto something here..."  
  
He didn't notice the door close behind him, but he did feel the sudden drop in level.  
  
"What the--"  
  
He turned around, his eyes widening when he realised he was in an elevator.  
  
"Wolfwood-san, what did you--"  
  
Meryl stopped short when she saw that the door Wolfwood had opened revealed cables, pulleys and a very dark room.  
  
"Uh... Wolfwood-san?"  
  
She looked nervously at the cross that lay outside, by the door, and looked at the elevator with a sweatdrop.  
  
"He _could_ have waited for me,"  
  
Meryl muttered. First the lights went crazy, then her ear-drums were nearly blown out by a close-by siren and now her companion had disappeared. Maybe I should call him a friend, she mused to herself, when she heard footsteps echo lightly across the corridoor.  
  
She had never felt so glad to hear a familiar voice call out,  
  
"Sempai!!"  
  
  
  
  
Rederine stood in a large, open room that held all the loudspeaker equipment. There were lights above that shone very brightly, but at the moment, were flashing red. The siren was a faint wail in the distance, and Rederine stood, remembering the meetings this room used to hold.  
  
He closed his eyes, but his body was tense as he waited.  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: An incredibly short, unedited, very horrible chapter. It might be re-edited later... I don't know... I've planned the whole ending out properly now, but it's still gotta be several more chapters till that. ^^;; Thanks for you reviews. ^^*]  
  
  



	27. Chapter Twenty-five: Self-destruction

  
**Chapter Twenty-five: Self-destruction**   
  
  
  
"Why the hell would anyone want to make so many different intersections?!!"  
  
Vash whined in question as he realised he had been going in a circle for the past three minutes. He was fully clothed but that didn't change his extremely tensed muscles. It wasn't surprising he was so stiff because not only did he not know what was going on, but the lights had gone bonkers and a siren had started screeching across his brain just a few steps down the first corridoor.  
  
He had frozen in step, afraid to move as he had thought he had been discovered - but felt no presence nearby and instead stayed balanced in his precarious position for thirty seconds or so before realising he was an idiot.  
  
"Bah,"  
  
Vash muttered when he remembered his ridiculously impossible position... what he found curiously strange was that he didn't feel dizzy or slurred enough to not be able to perform balancing acts like that properly. In fact, he felt very sharply awake - which only made him feel suspiciously alert. What _was_ going on...?  
  
Each step he took echoed about the metal walls, and after a few more minutes of the increasingly irritating wail of the siren and adjusting eye-sight of the blinking lights, the corridoor seemed to be widening out. Cautious, Vash's stride slowed to a slow walk, and he slid his arm down to his waist, automatically reaching for his--  
  
"Naa?"  
  
Vash patted his pockets and his waist with widening eyes.  
  
"NAA??"  
  
A sense of doom overcame him as he searched and searched himself for his trusty six-shooter, then his jaw dropped open as he thought,  
  
'Oh CRAP!! That Rederine jerk probably has it!!!'  
  
Devastated, Vash wondered if it was really worth the trouble finding his way back to the lab he had just been in when the doors suddenly made a loud noise of scraping metal. Startled, Vash watched the thick, metal doors slowly open, a dull gleam reflecting the lights from the huge room within.   
  
A _blip_ sounded through the siren, and the bright, flashing white lights plunged into a darkness so black it seemed to muffle Vash's gasp of surprise. Then, almost as suddenly as it had gone out, the lights were back on again, but a dim and disturbing glow of red. The siren wailed its last before dying into a low drone of a young woman's voice.  
  
_Ten minutes before self-destruction._  
  
"Self-destruction?!!"  
  
Four voices yelped in perfect unison despite the fact that most of them were no where near each other.  
  
_Count-down starting ... Now._  
  
A laugh echoed from deep inside the room, and Vash turned to face the origin of the laugh.  
  
Perched casually on a chair was Rederine the Temaski, smiling at him as he rested his chin leisurely into his palm.  
  
  
  
  
"Wolfwood-san went down an elevator?? Is he okay??"  
  
Milly cried in alarm. Meryl nodded, smiling inwardly at Milly's urgency.  
  
"He's fine, just a little scarred."  
  
Milly smiled in relief.  
  
"Thank goodness."  
  
She took a look at the cross leaning beside the elevator, and walked over to it. Setting her hands behind the metal cross currently devoid of cloth and buckles, she eased the Cross Punisher up gently. Behind it on the wall, a black button had been pressed in by it, and as Milly lifted the weapon up, the button made a loud _click_ as it was no longer pressured.  
  
Milly let out a small gasp as the cables in the door-frame started to whirr and move smoothly along its pulleys.  
  
"Oh, I see. Wolfwood-san pressed in a button outside with that cross of his, and activated this elevator."  
  
Meryl mused, examining the button. (A/N: While Meryl thinks that was mighty intelligent of Wolfwood, in truth, it was a complete coincidence.) A wall of silvery plastic surfaced, but slid sideways to reveal an inner, darker room that was lit very dimly.  
  
"Then Wolfwood-san must be down there."  
  
Milly said in a voice of concern, and then without a second's hesitation, pushed the large black button in with her palm, shoved the Cross Punisher into the elevator and hopped in herself.  
  
"Eh?? Milly!"  
  
Meryl exclaimed, and watched in half horror as the girl scanned the rows of buttons with her eyes and depressed one quickly. The door started to slide closed, and Meryl knew she couldn't fit in the elevator unless she clung herself onto the ceiling.  
  
"Follow later, sempai!!"  
  
Milly called through the narrowing space,  
  
"I've got to help Wolfwo--"  
  
The door shut and the silver plastic disappeared below Meryl's feet, the wind created brushing her fringe up.  
  
"Arrrrggghhhh!!!!! MILLY!!!"  
  
Meryl calmed herself down, and watch the black button. After a while, it unpressed itself, and popped out with a _click_ again. She pressed it in impatiently, and watched the cables work the other direction.  
  
She got into the elevator, but wondered just what button Milly had so confidently pressed when she noticed one of the black buttons was smudged with cigarette ash. Pressing it in, she felt her stomach tug slightly as the elevator sunk down, and closed her eyes.  
  
Funnily enough, her stomach wasn't restored immediately, and still felt elsewhere.  
  
_I just hope Vash-san is alright,_  
  
She thought worriedly, although her expression said otherwise.  
  
  
  
  
Wolfwood still didn't know where the hell he was until a loud gun-shot echoed along his corridoor.  
  
"Vash?!!"  
  
He yelled, running towards the closest intersection to the sound, and nearly skid just in time to a stop. The toes of his shoes were barely half a step from slipping right over the edge of a platform. The doors to the platform at the intersection were wide open, and Wolfwood took a moment to catch his breath.  
  
The ceiling was a head above him, so he crouched a little as he crept towards the edge of the platform and peered over and down.  
  
He was in a huge room - no, metallic hall - and chairs were scattered in rows. Below and near the centre of the hall, he saw a familiar red-head in a heavy struggle with Vash.  
  
It was too far away to see specifically what was going on, but just as Wolfwood decided to try jumping down, he realised something.  
  
He had been unable to break his way out of the elevator, and when it had opened, it had refused to go back up - or anywhere else - again. (A/N: This is because the black button was still depressed by his cross...) So he had marked the button he had accidentally pressed, and had walked along the unfamiliar corridoors. Wolfwood realised he was unarmed.  
  
He hadn't a single weapon on him. The best thing he could do if he did get down there would be to body-tackle Rederine, but he was sure he would a)be detected and attacked before he even got there, b)even if he did get there he would probably end up being more of a hindrance to Vash than anything else. He hated to admit it - even to himself -, but the fact that the threads had seriously messed up his muscles remained, and he was still in the process of healing it.  
  
Cursing silently, Wolfwood decided to remain where he was until something happened that required his help - even if it did mean risking himself. He just hoped that Milly was okay.  
  
  
  
  
"You found me much more easily than I would've expected, Vash the Stampede."  
  
Vash chose not to admit he had been lost and had found the location of the Temaski purely through dumb luck, and instead walked purposefully into the large hall, his eyes trained on Rederine.  
  
"Tell me."  
  
He said, his tone demanding.  
  
"What the heck is going on?"  
  
Rederine stood up from his chair in the centre of the room, and returned Vash's glare full-on. The smile on his lips curled downwards.  
  
"I'm surprised. You really don't seem to understand what's going on..."  
  
He shrugged carelessly as he stood up from the chair he was sitting on before kicking it aside. He pulled out a gun from a holster at his hip and aimed the barrel pointedly at Vash's head, several feet ahead from him.  
  
"That doesn't mean anything to me. I'll kill you now, if you don't mind. Any last words?"  
  
Vash let out a sigh, taking a step forward and putting his hands up in position of surrender.  
  
"Maa, maa. All I want to know is why you just _had_ to nearly kill the small girl and the priest just to get me. Why didn't you just take me in through force? Like what you did to the car outside the lab?"  
  
Rederine looked visibly surprised for a moment before immediately hiding it with a twisted smile.  
  
"How did you know I did that?"  
  
Vash's features hardened to look more serious now, lowering his hands and looking at Rederine with a cool expression.  
  
"You let loose a load of vibes when you whammed the car over. You're letting loose those same vibes now."  
  
The red-head's eyes darkened.  
  
"That was perceptive. I only let out my vibes, if you like to call it that, for a split second. No matter - it just shows how right the professor was about you."  
  
He bent his chin down slightly, hiding a clear view of his eyes.  
  
"As an answer to your question..., well, I can only use forces like that when you're unattentive. During that car-ride your mind was clogged up with emotions, so I was able to use a strong force against you without you noticing quickly enough to dodge it."  
  
"The gunfire before that was a diversion to confirm my lack of sense, was it?"  
  
"Smart of you to figure that out so quickly."  
  
"I've been unattentive lots of times before. Why attack my... friends?"  
  
"Now that, Vash the Stampede, is simply because I _hate_ you."  
  
There was a pause as Vash stared at Rederine, skin and clothing toned with red due to the soft red lighting, his eyes over-cast by a shock of hair but glinting dangerously at Vash through the shadow.  
  
What Vash asked next, although it was more of a self-question, startled Rederine so much his head snapped up with widened eyes.  
  
"Who did I kill this time...?"  
  
He couldn't stop staring at the blonde gunman, who was looking at Rederine with deep aqua eyes filled with the two things he had not expected. There was a sadness beyond tears and a pain that went iles below skin-deep... but it wasn't enough. It was definitely not enough for Rederine.  
  
"You killed my father."  
  
He said solidly, and with that, he flicked his wrist up and pulled the trigger of his gun deftly. The moment he used to move his wrist in position was the second Vash used to move out of the way and forward, the bullet just skimming the top of his head as the crack of the gun rebounded on the walls.  
  
Vash moved quickly; he shot forward towards Rederine, and in a swift move, brought an arm up and slammed it against the fingers Rederine was wrapping around the handle.  
  
The gun stayed in his hand, however, but not in a proper grip. Gritting his teeth as pain sharply travelled from the wrist to the whole arm, Rederine jammed his other elbow into Vash's chest. This winded him effectively, but Rederine was forced to let out a sharp exhalement of breath, startled as Vash swung a leg in Rederine's direction, his boot whipping his ankle and causing him to fall hard onto his side.  
  
The gun went off again by accident and caught Vash by surprise, the gunfire echoing again as the stray bullet shot clear-through his left shoulder. Sucking in a painful breath and clenching his teeth, Vash shoved his arm up to reach for the gun.  
  
Rederine had been severely bruised upon falling so roughly, but kept his fingers around the gun and readjusted a proper hold on it quickly. He proceeded to scramble into a half-sitting position as Vash's hand stretched out for the gun, his fingers barely managing to touch the handle before the gun was pointed at his nose.  
  
"Gameover,"  
  
Rederine hissed, his finger pulling at the trigger -- but Vash did something extremely unexpected.  
  
Knowing he didn't have the time to bring his hand up to clutch the gun, Vash opened his mouth and clamped his teeth onto the barrel. The few seconds in which Rederine stared in shock at the incredibly stupid act earned Vash the time to jerk his head to one side, the black metal lodged in his jaw, and the gun slipped out of Rederine's fingers and Vash's mouth to clatter onto the metal floor loudly.  
  
Realising the reason behind the stupidity, Rederine tried to recover his gun immediately but was knocked over with a heavy punch down, feeling a tooth rattle as his skull hit the floor. In turn thrust his palm up onto Vash's chin, throwing Vash's head sideways before rolling onto his knees and scrabbling for the gun.  
  
Vash felt warm blood trickling past his chin, but saw Rederine's yearning hands and reacted by kicking the weapon away with a boot, and with the same leg brought a knee harshly into Rederine's diaphragm.  
  
Letting out a choked sort of gargle, Rederine took a moment to recover as Vash suffered from the effect the kick had had on his arm, as he had leaned on it while kicking. Blood was starting to soak his shoulder, and unhealthy amounts of pain were starting to throb through it.  
  
Resorting to desperate measure, Rederine reached into the folds of his orange cloak and spun two smaller guns into each hand, and pointed them both at Vash.  
  
Vash saw what was coming before the dull shine of the guns met his eyes. He slammed his right heel onto Rederine's foot to gain a little time, the halves of the knife in the boot clinking together. The pain in Rederine's foot delayed him long enough to let Vash swing his leg up and pierce one of Rederine's arms right through with the blade.  
  
Rederine let out a startled cry as the unexpected knife sliced right rhough his fore-arm, the pain forcing the gun out of his left hand, but the other arm stayed trained a foot away from Vash's stomach. However, he had been so distracted by the knife he didn't notice Vash's _other_ arm unfolding into a contraption he and the professor hadn't even noticed.  
  
He squeezed the trigger and the bullet went off - and ricocheted away from Vash's left, _a second bullet_ burying into the metal at Vash's right. Rederine's eyes were wide with shock at Vash's left hand which had quite suddenly been replaced by a black, rifle-like gun.  
  
Rederine still had his fingers tightly wound around his own gun, however, and kept it steadily aimed at Vash's chest. Vash's left arm was pointed at Rederine's heart. Both guns remained still as the two men breathed heavily, blood staining more and more of Vash's coat and the blood from the corner of his mouth trailing past his chin as Rederine's arm dripped blood from where the blade had cleanly left it.  
  
Their eyes bored into the other, droplets of sweat leaving their foreheads, their breathing growing no less laboured than before, when they heard hurried footsteps skid to stop in the opening of the hall. Both gunmen turned.   
  
  
  
[A/N: Is this worth the trouble? Hmmm... Shall I continue? O.o; I have no idea! Thanks for the all the reviews. ^^;; This is definitely leading to its climax. Expect it to end in around two or three chapters...! Please R/R ^^* and shyah~!!]  
  
  



	28. Chapter Twenty-six: Misguided

  
**Chapter Twenty-six: Misguided**   
  
  
  
"Why the hell would anyone want to make so many different intersections?!!"  
  
Meryl screamed in frustration, unconciously repeating a certain blonde gunman that was lingering in her mind.  
  
_Damn him!! He better be alright -- or else!! And-- ARGH JUST WHERE THE HELL AM I?!!_  
  
As she ran, she heard gunshots ring, and stopped in her tracks, her eyes wide with shock. Then she resumed her pace, clutching in her hands a derringer and something else.  
  
"You better be alright, Milly and Wolfwood-san!!"  
  
She muttered, wildly guessing as she ran around a corner. She vented out her frustration at yet another dead end by kicking the wall.  
  
"AARRRRGGHH!! You better not be hurt anywhere, Vash the stupid stupid _stupid_ Stampede!!!!"  
  
Believe me, Vash probably would've sneezed had the situation allowed him to.  
  
  
  
  
Milly heard three gunshots ring in the air and echo everywhere before finding the open silver doors. Discarding her stungun and the Cross Punisher upon seeing the urgency of the situation, she ran hard into the hall, screaming:  
  
_ "STOP!!!"_  
  
Rederine looked off-guard, and Vash took advantage easily by forcing the gun upwards with his own, the shot cracking the air. Startled as Rederine was, he attempted to regain his hold on the gun, but Vash slapped it out using his arm, and pressed the gun heavily to Rederine's forehead.  
  
Milly sucked in her breath, her eyes widening in fear. She lunged onto Vash's arm, wrapping her arms tightly around the gun and securing them there.  
  
"Don't hurt him,"  
  
She said a choked sort of voice, knowing Vash wouldn't kill but would perhaps inflict a lot of pain,  
  
"Don't hurt him more than he already is. Please..."  
  
Vash did not lower his gun, but relaxed the arm slightly. Amber eyes glared angrily upwards at Vash, but Milly saw beyond the anger.  
  
"What is it, girl? You want to kill me yourself? I did hurt your little priest now, didn't I."  
  
He smiled twistedly, but Milly shook her head vigourously, tightening her hold on Vash's again tensed arm.  
  
"...Do you see it too?"  
  
Rederine's eyes cast towards Vash vehemently. See what? Vash's expression was unreadable as Milly nodded against his arm.  
  
"There is so much of it..."  
  
She whispered. Looking at the red-head with her innocent blue eyes, she said with a slight tremor,  
  
"Th-that time... when you shot s-sempai. You made a whole building collapse, b-but..."  
  
She swallowed, gathering the courage,  
  
"You didn't kill anyone. That shows a lot."  
  
"Pure luck."  
  
Rederine said coldly. However, Milly shook her head again.  
  
"You're not a bad person, I know it!!"  
  
She said boldly.  
  
"Your eyes say more than your words. You're not a bad person."  
  
"Oh,"  
  
Rederine's voice grew sarcastic,  
  
"So I'm supposedly good, am I? Shooting the short girl and stringing up your p--"  
  
"You're _misguided_!"  
  
Milly interrupted.  
  
"Misguided?"  
  
He repeated contemptuously. He laughed shortly, more like a bark than anything else, and snapped,  
  
"Girl, I wouldn't talk about things I don't know about."  
  
Milly's eyes wouldn't stop looking into Rederine's, and he shifted a little uncomfortably. What was _with_ this girl? Didn't she know when to shut up?  
  
"Just because Vash the Stampede has got my head under his gun barrel doesn't mean I have got to listen to your kind of bullshit."  
  
She gave a soft sigh, a small exhalement of breath that Rederine couldn't interpret. It disturbed him.  
  
"You don't know what you're really doing, do you? You're very similar to someone I know."  
  
Vash looked down at Milly, whose eyes were filling with tears and still latched tightly to his arm, and then to Rederine, whose expression was still of someone who was disgusted and sarcastic.  
  
However, Vash looked beyond the exterior and saw the cracked barrier.  
  
"I know a man,"  
  
Milly started quietly, but paused and started again with an increase in volume.  
  
"I know a man who has the most strangest eyes I've ever seen. They look happy and bright, but if you scratch the surface, you see something else. There is pain, anger, sadness, love and hatred, all in there and mixed up. It's painful to look at his eyes sometimes."  
  
She refused to look at Vash but looked at Rederine, her blue eyes penetrating through Rederine's amber ones.  
  
He was in shock.  
  
He had never met anyone who could see right through him like this.  
  
"But when I looked in his eyes recently, they looked clear. They were clear all the way through to his soul, and he was genuinely at peace. Do you know why?"  
  
"No, and I don't want to know."  
  
Rederine said, but Milly carried on as though Rederine had said nothing.  
  
"His pain is still there, and the sadness is as well, but the hatred and anger is gone. The hatred and anger he felt... wasn't to anyone. He wasn't angry or hateful to anyone..., but himself."  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
Rederine snapped. What was this strange feeling of panic inside him? He glanced at Vash. Vash was staring at Milly, who was swallowing.  
  
"To hate yourself is a terrible thing... and to be angry at yourself makes it even harder."  
  
Why was she crying?  
  
"Shut up, girl! I'm not interested in your bloody sermon!!"  
  
Rederine was nearly yelling, his eyes almost bulging out. Why was he so worked up?  
  
"But he learnt how to forgive himself--"  
  
"--Don't you know when to shut up??--"  
  
"--he discovered something special. So he finally did forgive himself... and now he needs to learn to love himself."  
  
Rederine shot a glance at Vash. He was looking at Milly in surprise, and Rederine realised.  
  
"You're like him, mister."  
  
"Go to hell."  
  
"Y-You're like him a lot!"  
  
"I am _not_ like Vash the Stampede!!"  
  
Rederine screamed, and shoved the gun barrel pressed onto his forehead upwards with swift arm movement. Vash was so startled he couldn't stop Milly's arms releasing his as she watched Rederine in surprise, and he couldn't stop the red-head's hands grabbing folds of her clothes and slamming her onto the dull metal floor.  
  
"Don't you dare say that again!! Bitch, do you have any idea what you just said??"  
  
He glared at her as she lay below in a stunned sort of way, and as Vash reached over to pull Rederine off - probably with the intention to hurt him - Milly looked straight into Rederine's eyes, her gaze straight through to the soul again.  
  
A tear slipped down Milly's cheek.  
  
"Stop hating yourself!!"  
  
The three words shattered Rederine's barrier and buried deep into him.  
  
"What...?"  
  
He spoke as he stared at the girl, so occupied he didn't notice Vash's elbow coming at him. It caught him squarely on the jaw, and he was thrust backwards. Milly cried out, telling Vash not to hurt him, and as Vash protested, the words echoed in his head.  
  
_Stop hating yourself._  
  
He had never realised it... but it was true.  
  
He _didn't_ hate Vash the Stampede.  
  
He didn't know him, and he knew deep down all along that it wasn't Vash's fault, really. Vash couldn't help existing... not unless he killed himself. And Rederine, in all truth, hated killing.  
  
As Vash pointed a gun at his leg, and Milly restrained him from shooting, more thoughts filtered in.  
  
He didn't hate the professor, either - although he had definitely lost his admiration for him, somewhere in him, he knew the professor was really... well, his father. He had spoilt his experiment, and he was sure the professor hadn't meant to hurt him... he was his son, surely he had only hit him in anger...  
  
But himself?  
  
What if he had never existed?  
  
The countless people he had hurt wouldn't have been. His father wouldn't have been so mentally scarred. Vash the Stampede would have been left alone.  
  
Had he known this..., all along...?  
  
This hatred...  
_ He knew._  
  
"You must realise to hate yourself is a terrible thing. You can't blame yourself for everything. You c-can't -- you can't hate yourself like this!! _It's wrong_!!!"  
  
Too stunned with realisation to say anything, the hall was completely silent as Rederine stared at the girl who knew more than anyone else. She didn't know him, yet she knew him deep down. It was shocking... and it was true.  
  
All of it was true. Was it really that wrong to hate himself? The way the girl clung to Vash's arm in a pleading way to let him live, and the way her eyes were brimmed and spilling with tears just for his pain - even though she hardly knew him! - and the way she was looking at him, in him, _through_ him... it really did seem wrong.  
  
Wrong. He had never thought precisely about that. Right and wrong, good and bad... he had always thought himself as 'bad'... but being 'wrong'... he had never wanted to kill anyone. Was that the 'right' in him?  
  
But he usually never wanted to hurt... but the hatred in himself had driven him to hurt...? If there had been some 'right' in him, then when hurting right?  
  
That was dangerous.  
  
That was really dangerous.  
  
He was a dangerous person when he hated himself...  
  
He was then startled to realise that Vash had put down his gun, and Milly had let go and was crying quietly to herself.   
  
The girl was so innocent that seeing someone in such pain truly hurt her.  
  
Rederine saw this and wondered why.  
  
"Why are you crying?"  
  
He asked dully.  
  
"I'm just relieved."  
  
She whispered. Vash saw all the strength gone in Rederine at her words, and gave a small smile.  
  
The two men let their eyes meet briefly; aqua against amber, dying embers of a once flaring fire against swirls of an ocean that would froth if made to.  
  
And then Rederine collapsed onto his back. Vash's small smile widened, the tension in the room slowly dissolving. He took a small breath before he asked softly,  
  
"Were you confused, or were you just lost?"  
  
Rederine listened to the question, and pondered.  
  
"Both."  
  
He answered finally. He lay flat on his back, looking up at the metal ceiling illuminated with red light, and wondered how pathetic he was if all he had allowed himself to see until now was just that...; red.  
  
  
  
  
Wolfwood heaved a huge sigh of relief, relaxing against his slab of metal. Milly had scared him half to death when she had run into the room. He had been so certain Rederine was going to shoot her. But Tongari had taken care of the chance by tackling the gun out of the red-head's hands.  
  
Then Milly was talking, her sweet, understanding voice echoing around as she clutched Vash's arm like she would never let go. Wolfwood's heart caught in his throat when she was winded down like that by the weirdo. That had him on the edge of the platform, ready to jump off and kick the bastard off his girl - when Vash took things into his hands again by shoving him off.  
  
Now, it seemed that the guy had calmed down to an extent he was lying down and soaking in everything he was being lectured.  
  
_Thank God._  
  
Wolfwood settled himself into a crossed-leg position, looking down in relief and lighting a cigarette - and fell backwards as Milly cast her eyes directly to where he was and waved cheerfully. Vash blinked and turned to where the priest was.  
  
"Wolfwood-saaaaan!"  
  
Milly called out, smiling as she wiped a tear from a cheek. Sweatdropping, Wolfwood waved back.  
  
"Whatcha doing up there?"  
  
Vash asked in confusion.  
  
"I got lost."  
  
Rederine seemed too lost in his own thoughts to take a look at him, so Wolfwood got ready to jump off the ledge easily -- when the robotic female voice sounded again in a low drone, so suddenly Wolfwood fell backwards with a _clunk_ yet again.  
  
_Five minutes before self-destruction._  
  
"Not much time... I wonder if it's possible to stop."  
  
Vash said, trying to look worried but failed to hide the laugh in his voice as Wolfwood sat back up again, looking a little embarrassed.  
  
  
  
  
_I see now... I thought I saw familiar pain in his eyes before. He was just a little lost. No doubt he needed someone to help him realise that..._  
  
Vash smiled as the red-head appeared to be lost in contemplation, staring at the ceiling with heavily hooded eyes.  
  
It was then that everyone heard footsteps at the main entrance, yet again. They all turned to look at who was entering.  
  
Amidst the glowing red light that glinted off the lenses of a pair of glasses and a large contraption held in one gloved hand, Vash instantly recognised the figure just as a piercing screech of frequency streaked across Vash's head, and he let out a sharp gasp.  
  
A huge pain seemed to rip through his brain, and Vash thread his fingers through his hair, clutching at his skull as he began to breath heavily.  
  
_What the hell is this?!_  
  
White and blue snapped unpleasant images before his eyes, and red petals seemed to fluttering around everywhere...! Rem's lips mouthed her last words behind a narrowing slit of light, crazed, ice-blue eyes bulged as voices echoed in his head, blood splattered and stained everywhere, splashing and soaking...!?   
Suddenly, from all the red, from all the disturbing noise, Vash was aware of a warm smile; a rare, warm smile, and violet-grey eyes gently gazing at him as a hand lifted to him.  
  
_M..._  
  
He hadn't been concious of himself screaming, but he realised he must have been because the remnants of it echoed around. Someone else was screaming now, thought. With difficulty he cleared his head, looked up. The red light made him shudder, but that was past the point. How much time had just passed now?  
  
Milly was looking at him with an expression of fear and worry, and judging by the level of alarm in her face, it had barely been ten seconds. Funny; it had felt a lot longer than that. He acknowledged his recovery with a small, slightly strained smile, which let Milly let go of the breath she'd been holding.  
  
He looked at Rederine, who was screaming disturbingly as the professor approached slowly, his eyes never leaving Vash as he moved. His mouth was set in a thin, grim line. Vash chose to ignore him and checked on the priest.  
  
Wolfwood on the verge of leaping off, but was still unsure of what to do. He looked down at Milly, and they exchanged quick glances. She smiled reassuringly at him.  
  
"I'll be back,"  
  
She said brightly to Vash, and ran right past the professor to the entrance, and out. Bewildered as Vash was, he was forced to look at the professor when he finally spoke.  
  
"So, Rederine. May I please know just _what the hell you think you're doing?_"  
  
Professor Corman dropped his professional tone and his eyes and face turned uglier as he gripped the front of Rederine's cloak into his gnarled fingers and shoved his face to his own, his spit flying onto Rederine's face.  
  
"_VASH THE STAMPEDE MISSING FROM MY LAB?!! AN ANTI-SEDATIVE MIXED WITH THE SEDATIVES GIVEN TO HIM?!!_"  
  
Rederine stopped screaming, but seemed to be containing it, his eyes screwed shut from restrainment and pain, his teeth bared and revealing tightly clenched teeth.  
  
"LISTEN TO ME!! What the HELL is this SELF-DESTRUCTION shit I'm hearing?!!"  
  
Professor Corman hissed his last three words, his eyes bulging and his lips so drawn back from yelling his gums could be seen.  
  
"Did I SACRIFICE my time for you just so you could RUIN ME _AGAIN_??!!"  
  
His fingers fumbled at the contraption he had with him, turning a reb knob Vash could just glimpse - it could've been any colour under this light, though - clockwise, and Rederine's eyes flew open as he let out a sudden cry. He slammed his fist against the controlling device out of the stunned-looking professor's hands, and crushed the metal to pieces with the heavy heel of his boot. He whammed a heavy punch against the professor's face, jarring his jaw and landing him onto the ground.  
  
"Wh-what is the meaning of-of this??"  
  
The professor spluttered, but only to be responded with another punch and a heel dug into his chest. Noticing that the gun Vash had hit away earlier was now at his feet, Rederine kicked it up and easily caught it, pointing it at the professor with a frosty smile.  
  
As the professor began to choke, his arm reaching up to intercept the gun in a feeble attempt to save himself, his eyes widening in pure fear, Rederine's smile grew fixed.  
  
_Something's wrong._   
Vash realised a little too late.  
  
"Shut up."  
  
He said, and pulled the trigger.  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: Yay!! I finally got more reviews than chapters!! O.O I knew it was a bad idea to upload 20 or so chapters all at once!! Me=baka. Anyways - thanks for showing interest!! ^^* I need to rewatch some Trigun, but I just remember I lent my friend my Trigun eps. -_-;; (Won't see her for like what two-three weeks?? -_-;;) Anyways.. thanks again!! I guess I'll end up finishing this, won't I? Even if you don't read it, I guess I'll need to settle my concious somehow... ^^;; Thanks for the third time... btw I know this chapter sucks... it makes no sense at all. o_- If I'm bothered, I might even rewrite it... but most likely... I won't. O.O ]  
  
  



	29. Chapter Twenty-seven: Hysteria

  
**Chapter Twenty-seven: Hysteria**   
  
  
  
Milly's fingers fumbled.  
  
_Hurry, hurry!!_  
  
She told herself as she finally managed to load a round of shots into her stungun, the awful screaming inside the room resonating on the walls unpleasantly.  
  
_I'm coming, Wolfwood-san!_  
  
Slinging the stungun easily over one shoulder, she hitched up the Cross Punisher with the opposite arm and ran, stumbling slightly in her haste towards the metal hall, and entered just in time to see Rederine punching the professor. Her eyes widened in horror as she glimpsed his amber eyes. The fire was flaring in them again, and she thought she saw something _uncontrollably mad_ somewhere in his face...!  
  
She looked up, taking a breath, and her eyes met Wolfwood's. He was on a knee and ready to jump, and he gave a quick nod. That was all he had to do; Milly had only one more round of shots in her stungun, and she knew he didn't want her involved anymore. His grey eyes implored her to stay put - but just do one more thing before she did.  
  
Wolfwood jumped.  
  
Milly passed the cross to Vash, who looked startled as he accepted it, and pointed the end of her stungun upwards. It took a glance for Vash to get the message, and sticking his foot underneath the end of the huge cross, he thrust it into the air with a powerful kick and push with his hands.  
  
_BANG._  
  
The first shot echoed loudly as Milly pressed the trigger, the shot shooting into the center of the cross and propelling it further, higher.  
  
_BANG. BANG._  
  
Shots slammed into the cross, metal clanging loudly with metal, and with Milly's final shot, the last _BANG_ let the Cross Punisher fall right into the waiting arms of the priest. Catching it in mid-air he flipped round and fell nimbly onto his feet, his arm hooked into the weapon, when he caught the stricken, panicked look in Vash's eyes before he saw Rederine's finger on the trigger, his eyes coldly and relentlessly boring into the professor's bulging, veiny eyes.  
  
Hoping to dear God, Wolfwood aimed his machine-gun at the gap between the throat of the professor and the barrel of the black gun in Rederine's fingers, and timing with precision only years of experience could give him, he pulled his own trigger.  
  
There was an explosive noise that rang as both guns went off, one bullet streaming towards the professor's wrinkled throat with another shooting forward to intercept it. The bullet ricocheted against the other with a metallic scrape, and they embedded themselves opposite sides of the professor's knees.  
  
_Thank God again._  
  
A swift curse escaping under his breath, Rederine's eyes glared bright amber at Wolfwood, but his cool grey eyes ignored the abnormal amount of anger as he shoved himself between the faltering professor and Rederine.  
  
"Let him go."  
  
He said firmly. Rederine's lips twitched as he stared at the priest, his hand on the gun lowered. His eyes were still dangerously bright, and the professor cowered behind Wolfwood and let out a low whimper.  
  
Vash's eyes darted towards the unretrievable guns on the floor, far away from him, and battled with himself whether he should get the guns and risk being shot by the red-head or not. It was obvious that Rederine's strange, maniacal behaviour was because of that weird frequency machine, and Vash knew it wasn't time to talk it out with words.  
  
Milly had no more rounds left, and simply held her stungun in her hands, looking with slight confusion and great concern at the priest and the red-head. She noticed Wolfwood still had his cigarette in his mouth.  
  
Rederine then tossed the gun in his hand down, the black metal clattering loudly against the floor, and threw his head back as he began to laugh. Wolfwood kept his guard up, his bewilderment not overtaking the sense of uncertainty that filled him as the red-head laughed loud and hard, taking in deep breaths as he ran his hands through his red hair, the copper streak in it reflecting the red light oddly.  
  
"This is hilarious."  
  
Rederine's voice was unnaturally high before he began to laugh again with a twinge of hysteria. Vash and Milly watched Rederine with expressions of doubt and worry as he laughed and laughed, echoing disturbingly around the walls.  
  
Rederine had nearly killed the priest standing before him, and yet even he was trying to stop him from doing anything wrong. Why were they all trying to protect him from being corrupt? Why, when he had hurt them so deeply?  
  
_I don't get it!_  
  
His fingers gripped his hair as he pressed his palms onto his eyes, tears slipping past his hands to stream past his jaw. His laughing was now choking up, turning into strange, kept-in sobs. His laughter had surprised Vash and Wolfwood, but they were still aware enough to feel his tension and aura building up to an unrecognisably high point. They exchanged looks of panic, but before they could say anything, Rederine's voice cut them off as he screamed, his fingers digging into his scalp:  
  
"_**ENOUGH!!!!**_"  
  
A ripple of pure energy from Rederine lapped over the professor, Wolfwood, Vash and Milly before a huge shockwave of power exploded onto them, power so strong winds ripped past their clothes in a flurry of colour. The plant side of Rederine revealed itself as his hands removed themselves from his eyes to show glowing orbs of amber, his hair lifting in winds that surrounded him from the energy he was emitting. His tears looked silver under the white light that was glinting off his skin and through his clothes, the red light in the room dark and dull compared to him.  
  
Blinking the temporary blindness the sudden bright light seemed to cause him, Vash opened his mouth to desperately try to calm the man down..., when he found that he couldn't. His teeth were clamped together, still clenched tightly, and to his shock he realised his body couldn't move at all -- except for his right arm.   
  
_His angel arm._  
  
The arm that was truly plant was the only part of his body that would move, other than his eyes. He could still breath through his teeth. As his eyes darted about he saw Wolfwood and Milly in the same situation as him; frozen in position, unable to move (well, except Vash's arm) or speak. The professor behind Wolfwood was still lying down. He turned his eyes to Rederine again, and saw him unsteadily standing.  
  
"I knew it,"  
  
Rederine whispered. His voice was punctuated with a strange droning _hummmm_ in the background that was increasing in volume that seemed to come from Rederine himself. All eyes in the room stared at Rederine, shocked and confused.  
  
"I knew it the whole bloody time."  
  
As his voice grew louder, so did the droning. He gave a twisted smirk as he laughed bitterly.  
  
"Imagine that. My own father... still alive and well, yet not alive and well. Look at that, Vash the Stampede. That human lying behind the priest is the father I speak of, the one trembling in fear at the monster he created from his very own son."  
  
Vash's eyes widened as he stared at the wrinkling professor and the red-head. Hadn't Rederine said he had killed his father? Had he just said the _professor_ was--  
  
"There's no more blame on you,"  
  
Rederine said, addressing Vash but his eyes trained on the whimpering professor,  
  
"because you didn't kill him. I used to think that the man who consumed my old father to create the hard and cruel 'professor' was none other than the famous $$60,000,000,000 outlaw. But I was wrong, of course. I'm always wrong."  
  
He let out another bitter laugh.  
  
"It was _my father_ who killed himself."  
  
The professor's eyes didn't blink as they stared at the laughing red-head. Tears formed in his eyes and began to dribble past his chin, unknown to anyone.  
  
"He let greed consume himself. I knew it the whole time, but I..."  
  
Rederine began to shake uncontrollably as he rolled his fingers into his palms, balling them into tight fists.  
  
"But I couldn't accept it. I didn't want to think about my father giving in to such an ugly thing. Greed."  
  
His teeth knashed together so loudly it was heard by every person in the hall.  
  
"I have to end it. I have to finish this all and end it forever."  
  
He looked at all the people, frozen with him in this room, and gave a crooked smile that was stained with too many years of pain.  
  
"It's wrong. I know it's wrong, dragging you all in with me. But... I started out wrong... so I might as well end wrong."  
  
'He's not thinking...!?'  
  
Vash wondered, stricken.  
  
"None of you can move,"  
  
Rederine said softly,  
  
"and this laboratory will collapse in self-destruction in less than five minutes. Much less than that, so we don't have long to wait. Pray your last prayers."  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: Sorry, I wrote a chunk so I had to separate it into two chapters. Bwah! >_^*]  
  
  



	30. Chapter Twenty-eight: Wing It

  
**Chapter Twenty-eight: Wing It**   
  
  
  
'Oh crap, he's gone insane,'  
  
Vash thought in panic,  
  
'I can't even speak to him! This is the worst-case scenario. Come on, I'm a man who can get out of the worst situations possible. Think, Vash, think.'  
  
Rederine kept his eyes open, his body stiff and standing, the amber in his eyes burning as the red light began to slowly brighten. The young lady's droning voice sounded.  
  
_Three minutes before self-destruction._  
  
'This isn't good. I can only move my right-arm, but what bloody good is that if I don't have a gun to pick up? Wait! Maybe I can reach Rederine--'  
  
Rederine looked only slightly surprised as Vash shot his right arm forward, stretching towards Rederine. His fingertips were far away from him. Rederine didn't do anything.  
  
'This isn't working! Can I reach a gun?'  
  
Desperately, he stretched towards the closest gun, but it was twice as far away than Rederine was from him. He was no where near a weapon of any kind that might help to snap Rederine out of his twisted reverie.  
  
He looked around frantically, the red light continuing to brighten as a sign of warning.  
  
Vash strained against the unseen force, urging all the nerves in his legs to move. It didn't respond; it felt frozen stiff and broken away from his body, a separate part unable to communicate with him. Despair began to fill him.  
  
'How the hell can I get out of this one? ...Can I even?'  
  
He couldn't die now. He just couldn't. He looked desperately at Rederine, who didn't do anything but look rigidly at the opposite wall. The woman's voice again.  
  
_Two minutes before self-destruction._  
  
Was there no hope? Was he supposed to stand here, frozen like an idiot, unable to save anyone but die with them? That was certainly what Rederine expected him to do. Was this his fate? Vash didn't want to think so, but as the seconds ticked away, and his arm fell limply and helplessly to his side, he realised he couldn't get out of this situation without anything short of a miracle.  
  
"Hey, asshole!!"  
  
All eyes, including amber ones, shot towards the entrance and widened.  
  
Meryl spun a single derringer in one hand before pointing it at Rederine, and easily pulled the trigger. The bullet shot right into his right knee, and he let out a howl of sharp pain.  
  
"That was for torturing me, bastard. Vash-san!!"  
  
She threw over what she had been holding in her left hand the entire time she had been running in circles. The bright red light reflected off the shiny metallic surface of the silver six-shooter that landed perfectly into Vash's right hand.  
  
Completely off-guard, Rederine tried to maintain his hold on them. However, Vash slipped a finger into the trigger, and Rederine let out a yelp as Vash shot his other knee. Unable to stand, the red-head collapsed onto his legs as Milly, Wolfwood and Vash were suddenly free from the invisible high pressure. Meryl ran over to them as they sucked in air - it had been difficult to breath.  
  
"What took you?"  
  
Wolfwood muttered. A nerve popped on Meryl's temple, but she merely shrugged it off and replied,  
  
"Got lost."  
  
_My miracle!_  
  
"Hey,"  
  
Vash said softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
Meryl asked. Vash lifted an arm, and gently brushed his fingers against her cheek. Her eyes widened, and he saw the familiar violet-grey eyes - the eyes that had saved him from despair before. Then he lifted his hand and patted her on the head. This made an eye twitch on her, but she noticed blood staining his already red trenchcoat a darker scarlet. Meryl opened her mouth to express her concern when Vash grinned.  
  
"Surprising stuff from someone so small!"  
  
He said with a laugh, and Meryl raised a fist that was held back by Milly, consoling her as she fumed. Wolfwood let out a sigh of relief as he noticed that everyone seemed okay - especially Milly, who seemed the most unscathed. Vash turned to face the stunned red-head, and the professor not far from him, still lying down and unable to get up.  
  
"Come on, Rederine."  
  
Rederine looked up, aqua eyes looking at him gently.  
  
"Let's get out of here."  
  
He looked at his damaged knees, then up again to look at Vash's kind eyes. Then his uncertain face hardened as he bristled.  
  
"No,"  
  
He hissed,  
  
"_You_ get out of here!"  
  
Vash was startled by a sudden force as a gold-tinted wind burst forth from Rederine, surrounding him and the professor in a dome-shape. Vash realised that Rederine had built up a barrier that was increasing in strength and size by the second, barring him from touching either Rederine or the professor.  
  
"Rederine!!"  
  
Vash yelled, watching as Rederine slowly emptied himself of his powers into the barrier. Wolfwood watched in awe as an invisible force pushed Vash backwards. Vash tried to keep his footing on the ground firm, but the soles of his boots skid along the metal.  
  
"Don't do this!!"  
  
Rederine gave a dry smile, clearly drained and tired, blood slowly pooling out below him from his knee-caps. The professor seemed unable to move at all.  
  
"I'm tired, Vash the Stampede."  
  
He said quietly.  
  
"I'm sick and tired of it all. I can't stop the self-destruction, so don't even ask. Just leave me alone."  
  
Then his amber eyes flared again as he screamed,  
  
_"Just get out!!"_  
  
The woman's voice came right on cue.  
  
_One minute before self-destruction._  
  
Vash looked at Rederine, his palms pressed onto the invisible shield, when Wolfwood put a hand onto Vash's shoulder. He turned to the priest, who shook his head as he said,  
  
"Vash, the girls."  
  
Vash bit his lip, and turned back to Rederine. Rederine looked back at him, then did something strange. He tugged at the hem of his orange cloak, and gave a slight nod. Amazingly enough, Vash understood, and nodded back before turning to Wolfwood and the insurance girls.  
  
"Okay, we gotta get out of here in less than sixty seconds."  
  
Vash stated, then paused before prompting,  
  
"Any ideas?"  
  
Wolfwood pointed to the end of the hall, which held nothing but a metal wall. No doors were accessible because Rederine's huge barrier blocked the main entrance, and to get back up on Wolfwood's ledge would only get them lost.  
  
"Leave it to me,"  
  
The priest said as he sprinted forward, and at the end of the metal hall switched to rocket-launcher mode with his Cross Punisher and hitched it onto his shoulder.  
  
_KABLAM._  
  
He blasted away a whole portion of the wall successfully, and as the others caught up behind him, the three peered over his shoulder and sweatdropped with him.  
  
It was a way out, all right. It was had been a wall against the clear blue sky, sands visibly stretching out beyond their view, twin-suns winking at them from high above.  
  
Several iles below, there was straight, solid metal - and, strangely enough, rock - before ground.  
  
There was no way they were going to jump off where they were and land unscratched.  
  
"Weren't we below or on ground level?"  
  
Wolfwood asked, depression sinking in his voice.  
  
"I think the lab was built into a cliff, and we're looking out opposite end,"  
  
Meryl said, sounding more surprised than despaired,  
  
"Afterall, Midnight Desert ends at a rock cliff, and the building was founded on rock."  
  
_ (A/N: I know this hard to understand, but just imagine a building on the edge of a cliff. Now imagine a block of the cliff shaved out of it, so that the building on it nestles on where the cliff is shaved off, but the top of it is visible to the flat land at the top of the cliff. That 'top' of the building holds an entrance which people enter, and the 'underground level' is only underground to the cliff, but not to the other side of it which faces exactly what the cliff-face does - nothing. It's just a foundation of uneroded rock, though, rather than a cliff in this case. Does this make sense? If it doesn't, I'm sorry... this is the best I can attempt at explaining this. T_T Gomen.)_  
  
"....Now what?"  
  
Vash said, feeling dizzy just from looking down. Wolfwood looked around, and his eyes caught onto the untidy row of chairs that had been toppled over by the previous shockwave Rederine had sent. He went over and kicked one up. He held it and checked to see if it folded, and it did. Better yet, as he flattened it, it clicked together in a temporary lock.  
  
He hurriedly threw the folded chair to Vash, who caught it with surprise evident in his expression as Wolfwood grabbed another chair and flattened it as well.  
  
"What's this for?"  
  
Vash asked in surprise.  
  
"There's no time to scale this,"  
  
Wolfwood snapped,  
  
"So we're gonna have to wing it."  
  
Realising what Wolfwood intended to do, Vash held the folded chair and inspected its durability. It looked sturdy enough, made out of the same silver-plastic that had restricted him before, and the chair-seat was large enough for footing. He then also realised what Wolfwood needed him to do.  
  
  
  
  
"...Rederine."  
  
Rederine glanced up, to see the professor looking listlessly at him.  
  
"Yes, sir?"  
  
"Not sir."  
  
The professor whispered. Rederine looked at him for a moment.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
He asked.  
  
"You know."  
  
The professor mumbled before closing his eyes. Rederine watched him slip into a deep faint silently, then pulled himself over to the professor with his arms and elbows. Sweeping his cloak over himself and the professor, he muttered,  
  
"Not now; later."  
  
  
  
  
Meryl wondered what the hell Wolfwood and Vash were planning to do to get out of this one, when the woman's droning voice came on.  
  
_Starting count-down, now. Ten._  
  
"Oh shoot!!"  
  
Meryl shrieked, looking around wildly in hope of a miracle escape route.  
  
_Nine._  
  
Then she noticed Wolfwood murmuring something to Milly, and then gently slid his arms around her waist. Milly blushed madly as Meryl stared.  
  
_Eight._  
  
"What are you doing?!!"  
  
She demanded as Milly wrapped her arms tightly around Wolfwood's torso herself, burying her face against his chest.  
  
_Seven._  
  
"Listen to me."  
  
Meryl looked up at surprise to see Vash right up behind her, his eyes and voice completely serious.  
  
_Six._  
  
"We're going to jump, so you have to hold onto me tight."  
  
He hooked an arm around Meryl's waist, making her face go red.  
  
_Five._  
  
"Y-you've got to be kidding!!"  
  
Meryl cried.  
  
_Four._  
  
"I'm not. Please, I beg you to hold onto me as tightly as possible."  
  
Grumbling a little but not hesitant because she trusted him, she brought her fingers to a tight grip onto the back and front of Vash's red trenchcoat.  
  
_Three._  
  
Looking satisfied, Vash tightened his hold onto her and pressed his foot onto the flattened chair. Meryl noticed Wolfwood doing the same thing with his chair. Milly was slightly more clutched to him. Vash called out to the priest,  
  
"We're using the blast, aren't we?"  
  
_Two._  
  
"We have no choice."  
  
They smiled at each other, hiding the grimness and fear.  
  
_One._  
  
In unison, both men said,  
  
"Good luck."  
  
and with that, they jumped out of the building, the flattened chairs beneath their feet starting to drop. Meryl and Milly had to stifle screams of shock, squeezing their eyes shut at the height they were at.  
  
Then a massive explosion behind them sounded, deafening their ears for a moment as debris flew past them in dangerous shards. The impact, however, was exactly what both men needed. It slapped the chairs right back onto their feet, and regaining footing while clutching the girls tightly, they forced the chairs to point slightly downwards.  
  
That's when they started to descend. At an alarming rate. Now was time to improvise even further.  
  
"Damn it Wolfwood, how the hell are we going to land?!!"  
  
Vash yelled, and Meryl couldn't help but pound Vash's back.  
  
"You moron!! You should've thought about that first!!"  
  
Several more explosions cushioned their fall, but it wouldn't last for long - they would start zooming downwards like crazy any moment soon, destined to land into pancakes.  
  
"We didn't exactly have time to!"  
  
Vash retorted, and Meryl contented to gripping his coat so tightly her knuckles grew white while mumbling into his clothes.  
  
"Wolfwood-san, your cross--!!"  
  
Milly exclaimed.  
  
The abandoned Cross Punisher had flown out with them at the explosion, and was now _flying right towards him!!_. As dumbfounded as Wolfwood was by the extraordinary luck, he whipped an arm off Milly and out to grab it. Stupid as the motion was, as now Wolfwood and Milly started to freefall happily towards the ground at a terrifying rate, it was because Wolfwood knew exactly what to do.  
  
His hand struggled to find the proper hold, and luckily, the Cross Punisher was already in rocket-launcher mode. Praying inwardly to God, Wolfwood pointed the launcher towards the ground which was growing alarmingly close. Both him and Milly falling head-first, he pressed his cheek against the top of Milly's head, and blasted.  
  
As expected, the impact slowed him and Milly down - and Wolfwood let go of the Cross Punisher and threw it upwards as best as he could before he turned quickly so that they would land on him. The two landed from around fifteen feet from the air safely onto the ground, clouds of sand powdering the air, winding them both effectively.   
  
Vash's hand groped for the Cross Punisher, but missed, and the weapon fell onto the sand below. Vash looked desperately around - at the speed they were going, they were definitely going to crash with enough impact to kill. He then noticed lots of bits of metal trailing past him in wisps of smoke from the explosion above.  
  
Having no time to lose, Vash's eyes locked onto a slightly twisted sheet of metal, and purposefully lost footing on the chair. He heard Meryl's gasp and felt her grip grow tighter as he spun in the air, his arm around Meryl securely, and the other arm held out for balance as he landed onto the metal successfully.  
  
Their sudden weight made the metal start to plummet, but it was slower than the previous chair. They were relieved for a few seconds before Vash managed to slip off the metal still several feet up in the air. Muttering an apology, Vash clutched Meryl to him tightly as they fell, and made sure they would land on him when they did fall. However, they landed at an odd angle on his back, skidding a little against the sand before rolling quite a distance before finally losing momentum.  
  
They breathed heavily, bits of wreckage still flying past and crashing nearby.  
  
  
  
  
[A/N: Yes, this is the last chapter. I mean, I'm definitely writing an epilogue that comes straight after this, but this chapter is basically the majority of everything ended. Phew! It wasn't that suspense-grabbing, was it? Nehehe. Sorry... I hope I didn't rush it too much. I know the laws of Physics are almost completely defied here but I couldn't help it. O.O Thanks for reading uptil here! ^^*]  
  
  



	31. Chapter Twenty-nine: Contemplations

  
**Chapter Twenty-nine: Contemplations**   
  
  
  
"He's not here, Tongari,"  
  
Wolfwood shouted from the other side of the wreckage. Vash sifted through a pile of plastic before sighing. However, he smiled.  
  
"I guess he got out in time."  
  
He said.   
  
"Let's get out of here,"  
  
Meryl called to the men urgently,  
  
"I can see a sandstorm coming."  
  
They turned to see a blurry haze of sand and dust brewing up a distance away, and shivered.  
  
"This sucks!"  
  
Vash whined,  
  
"The car I rented is messed up."  
  
"We'll ride my car, then,"  
  
Wolfwood said, gesturing to the car he and Meryl had rented themselves. As Vash hurried towards the vehicle, he had to hide a wince. The pain from his wounds were not healing very nicely yet thanks to his roll-about in the sand with Meryl.  
  
As Vash settled himself into the back-seat of the jeep, Wolfwood slipped into the driver's seat. Milly got in the opposite front seat before Meryl really had a choice, but to Vash's surprise, she sat next to him without complaint.  
  
Wolfwood slammed a foot down onto the pedal, and with a screech of sand zoomed away from the pile of destruction. Everyone had an idea who this was going to be blamed on later.  
  
They drove in silence for moment, everyone thinking about what had just happened - they had barely managed to escape the brink of death yet again. However, Rederine the Temaski left in each of them something new.  
  
Wolfwood, for one, had seen exactly what Milly had seen in a split second - a pain in those amber eyes so deep only Vash the Stampede would know it. He had hidden it, though, not with the sheen of false cheerfulness that Vash used but with a screen of violence and hatred. It was like seeing someone who had been given the same choice of act Vash had been given, but had gone the opposite direction from Vash's path. It had driven Rederine to an extent that only one thing remained between him and a complete breakdown - acceptance... which the girl next to him had given him. The priest glanced at the tall brunette, who was shivering.  
  
She was shivering involuntarily at memory of Rederine's eyes. To Milly, his eyes were scary to her - a confusing array of mixed emotions that chased and swallowed the other up, all contained in that one single soul of Rederine the Temaski. It was really identical to Vash's, only Vash had gone a stage further earlier on, and had found something to help him cope with all the pain... Milly grinned to herself and cast a smile towards Meryl.  
  
Meryl, on the other hand, was remembering how Rederine had hurt her violently before with that whip of his. She had failed to see the inner him behind his eyes because he had been in denial at the time. He had definitely relished a pure brand of hatred that increased everytime he had struck her, but thinking about it, Meryl wondered if the hatred had not been to her but himself. She had fallen unconcious before seeing his reaction to all the blood, but all she knew was that she had seen something quite different in his eyes when she had seen him in the laboratory... they were eyes that screamed for help. She knew Vash had helped him in the best way he could, but what was Vash thinking?  
  
He was thinking about himself, actually. Vash realised, upon comparing himself to Rederine the Temaski, that their pain was shared, and he wondered what exactly Rederine had been aiming for in the end.  
  
_...An answer, I guess._  
  
Vash thought. He had most definitely found his own answer to his pain... although it felt kind of corny, he couldn't help but feel that he had found love. His travelling companions had become his best friends, and he knew he wouldn't be able to bear much without them now. Besides, one of them was making him feel a different brand of love... his eyes flickered to the small insurance girl, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.  
  
She caught his glance, and blinking she turned away quickly to stare out the window, widening Vash's small smile.  
  
The way she did her job with confidence, yet without much confidence in herself.  
  
The way she could snap so viciously, yet smile so warmly at times.  
  
The way she hid her pain to not worry anyone else, and kept it to herself.  
  
The way she held a logic that would lash back at her because of a certain blond gunman.  
  
The way she had a sweetness that she only revealed sometimes, and probably didn't know she even had.  
  
The way her eyes reflected an admiration she would never admit.  
  
The way she acted so strong when asleep no one looked more vunerable.  
  
The way she couldn't mask her concern with that ridiculously annoyed expression she had on currently.  
  
And the way she just sometimes... _knew_.  
  
All these things about her left Vash the Stampede feeling helplessly attracted to Meryl. Strangely attractive. He looked at her small figure, and as expected, she was glaring furiously out the window. The feelings he felt then had never felt so-- so-- _new_. When she had leant into him in the bus so many days ago, it had been so ...innocent. It was an indescribable innocence that, most definitely, was new to him. And he was supposed to be over a century old... yet what he was experiencing with this young insurance woman filled him with a gloriously new feeling.  
  
It felt nice.  
  
She glanced back, making him quickly hide his surprise with a quirk of an eyebrow, and saw that she had her eyes on his shoulder.  
  
"...Your shoulder..."  
  
Vash looked down and realised the dark stains on his coat had darkened further. He gave what he hoped was an assuring smile.  
  
"I'm fine,"  
  
He began, when she gave him a cool death glare, making him sigh defeatedly and start unbuttoning his coat. He shrugged the top half off, and let Meryl inspect it. He saw her stifled wince before she pulled out a handkerchief from her coat to mop up some of the blood. He let her without complaining, for once. She tied the cloth as tightly as she dared around the wound, muttering something about seeing Dr. Lonners, and Vash couldn't help but laugh.  
  
His low chuckle caught Meryl off-guard, and she looked up, her violet-grey eyes meeting his aqua ones, and saw mutual emotion. They looked in surprise at each other for a few seconds before Meryl, seeming unaffected, tore her eyes away. With an exasperated huff she dug her chin into her palm, staring out the window once again.  
  
Vash saw a blush on her turned cheek, however, and he grinned.  
  
Wolfwood and Milly saw the exchange and hid their laughter. Wolfwood looked at Milly, and remembered.  
  
"Hey, Milly..."  
  
Everyone in the car stared at Wolfwood with wide eyes. Did he just call Milly... well, Milly?! He blushed a little before continuing,  
  
"...how's the baby?"  
  
Meryl grinned at the embarrassed look on Wolfwood's face. Milly smiled back widely, her eyes shining at the step-up in level with her name. She had always called him 'Mr. Priest', but when he wasn't around to herself, she called him 'Wolfwood-san'... and she remembered calling him that as they had fallen through the air. Wolfwood had noticed! She felt elated.  
  
"Hungry,"  
  
She said softly, giggling. Wolfwood and Meryl smiled warmly at the bubbly happiness in Milly's voice which held a rare sense of pride in it.  
  
And of course, Vash chose that moment to cry out:  
  
"WHAT BABY?!!"  
  
  
  
  
"Will you stop muttering, Tongari?!!"  
  
Wolfwood exclaimed in exasperation as they walked up the stairs to their inn rooms. Vash trailed behind in a sort of half-daze.  
  
"But I can't belieeeve I'm the _only_ one who didn't knooooow,"  
  
He whined. Meryl rolled her eyes.  
  
"It's not surprising with your level of intelligence,"  
  
She commented. He mock-glared at her.  
  
"How dare you!"  
  
He cried, although the hint of laughter in his voice betrayed him,  
  
"I'm insulted, Meryl Stryfe!!"  
  
Vash continued to walk on as Wolfwood entered his room, pulling Milly along with him as she let out a yelp of surprise, but he stopped when he noticed the lack of Meryl. He turned to see her looking shocked, her eyes wide and staring at him.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
He asked. Meryl snapped out of her surprise, and walked on again, letting out a low sigh. Vash caught her wrist before she could pass him properly, though. His fingers brushed against her gash, which was now nearly a scar, and their eyes met again.  
  
Vash raised an eyebrow as Meryl let out a laugh.  
  
"So you do know my name."  
  
She murmured. He noticed her hand wasn't straining to get out of his grip or anything, and took that as a good sign.  
  
"Of course I do,"  
  
He scoffed,  
  
"You didn't think I wouldn't, did you?"  
  
Meryl frowned.  
  
"You didn't use it did much, did you?"  
  
She retorted. He looked sheepishly about, to her surprise, his thumb twiddling against her palm.   
  
"Well, uhm..."  
  
"Why didn't you?"  
  
She asked curiously. He looked at her with a sort of embarrassed smile.  
  
"'Cause, well... I guess it's kind of about time I used it. Because.. uhm... I'm no longer afraid."  
  
Meryl's eyes grew round at his last few words, and her lips curled into a smile at Vash's embarrassment.  
  
"Vash-san,"  
  
She began, when Vash shook his head vigorously, holding up a hand with a classic Vash expression.  
  
"No! Vash."  
  
"Okay, then... Vash."  
  
She paused, and the effect of familarity touching both before she continued,  
  
"I'm glad you're not afraid anymore."  
  
She gave him that rare, warm smile, and Vash couldn't stop a blush this time. He hadn't expected that. She noticed the redness before going on her tiptoes to peer at his face with a wide grin.  
  
"Ho, are you _blushing_?"  
  
She teased, her tone mimicking Vash from earlier on. He brought his forehead down to gently meet hers before replying easily,  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She stepped back in surprise, startled, and he grinned. Meryl gave him a look before sighing, shaking her head before she commented,  
  
"You know, she told me you were afraid."  
  
He couldn't disguise his reaction as his eyes widened and his mouth slightly opened. Meryl smiled a little sadly at his reaction.  
  
"I'll tell you all about it some time."  
  
He could only nod slightly, and then noticed Meryl stepping forward. She leaned towards him, and gently kissed his cheek. He blinked in great surprise, staring at her as she gave him the same sad smile before she turned and started to walk towards his room.  
  
She sighed softly. Was he mad at her for doing what she had? Had she gotten too personal? His expression was too much of shock for her to interpret as either good or bad. Meryl was wondering whether it was wise to walk into Wolfwood and Milly now or not when she felt a hand at her shoulder. Another sigh escaping her lips, she turned around to face Vash, when he grabbed both her shoulders with his hands and pulled her to him.  
  
"Wha--"  
  
She was interrupted by his mouth. He kissed her deeply and sweetly, his arms pulling her closer to him -- and then let her go. She was too much in shock to anything else than stare at him. He was bright red as he pushed her back from him, though his blue-green eyes were glowing.  
  
Then he suddenly straightened, gave a ridiculous salute as he said way too loudly,  
  
"Let's go in, then!"  
  
before he ran off and into the his room. Meryl blinked after him in surprise. A split second later, she heard Wolfwood yelp, obviously startled, and then heard Vash laugh maniacally. She lifted her fingers to her face, pressing a knuckle to her lips.  
  
_...Whoa._  
  
She realised she was blushing madly, and waited a few seconds for her face to cool down before she allowed herself into the room. Soon she was helping Milly pry Wolfwood off Vash's neck.  
  
Kuroneko sauntered lazily by room 204 of Cendre inn, took a look at the typical ruckus inside, then continued down the hall.  



	32. Chapter Thirty: An Epilogue

  
**Chapter Thirty: An Epilogue**   
  
  
  
(A/N: This is a SHORT epilogue, by the way. ^^;; Don't expect too much from it.)   
  
  
  


_A MONTH LATER_

  
  
  
  
"I have never seen Wolfwood-san look so happy!"  
  
Milly happily exclaimed as he tousled about on the dusty grounds with his orphans, laughing loudly. Meryl smiled.  
  
"He'll make a wonderful father,"  
  
She said softly, and Milly nodded brightly. Meryl watched Vash in the tangle of kids roll about in mock-pain, and should stop laughing herself.  
  
"Why don't we visit your family next, Milly?"  
  
She suggested. Milly looked thoughtful before nodding happily. She patted her rounding stomach before agreeing,  
  
"Yes, they should meet him."  
  
Meryl glanced at the hand Milly was patting her stomach with before looking down at her own.  
  
_"Hey Meryl, catch!"  
  
"Yikes!! Don't throw stuff at me! ...uh, what is it?"  
  
"Open it."  
  
"?...!...Vash... this is...!"  
  
"Uhm, I hope you like it."  
  
"...It's... I... Thank you, Vash."  
  
"Don't lose it, Meryl, okay?"  
  
"Don't worry, I'm not like you."  
  
"Aww, you're mean!"_  
  
She smiled at the memory. The twin-suns caught the sparkles in Milly's and Meryl's rings and reflected them to the clear blue sky.  
  
  
  
  
"What the... 'Vash the Stampede destroys laboratory in Midnight Desert'? 'Humanoid Typhoon strikes again'?? This is a month too old!"  
  
He burst out laughing, setting down his cup of coffee.  
  
"I knew I shouldn't have told him the address!!""  
  
  
  
  
He smirked at the headlines in the papers before setting them down and brushing a hand through his red hair, the copper streak plainly visible.  
  
"Come on Rederine,"  
  
Call the professor from his room,  
  
"It's lunchtime."  
  
"'Kay, I'll be a moment,"  
  
He called out, and standing up, he entered the small cabin that would have to do for now until they managed to market their silver plastic.  
  
He didn't know when, but he knew that one day, he would be able to call him father again... he was sure of it.  
  
Somewhere far away, amidst a pile of wreckage of an old laboratory, an orange cloak flaps in the wind, hanging raggedly on a metal pole, almost like a stake. Though stiff from sand, the cloak dances in the dusty breezes, vividly obvious against the metal and sand. Just below it, protected from the wind, lays a pair of amber-tinted sunglasses.  
  
Both owners don't need them anymore.  
  
  
  
  


~OWARI~

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
FINALLY!!!!!!!! You're all probably thinking. Heh! Well, I thank 'Trigun' for their wonderful characters, and I thank you readers for reading! For those who took extra care in reviewing, I particularly love you guys!! I read every single review, and I took it into my head, so don't think I didn't read it. Thank you so much!!! If it weren't for reviews I wouldn't have finished this. Thanks again!! ^_^**** Oh, by the way, I thought I might as well tell you why this is called 'Steam'. Uhhhm... well, I was writing and writing and I didn't know what to call it, right? Then I had to go sleep so I had to name the text file before I did, so I named it randomly with the first word that came to my eyes - which happened to be the line from the first chapter where the bus-driver loses steam. So I named it that, and it stuck. Guess what? I think the title ended up suiting the thing!! I wouldn't know what else to call it, anyhow. XD Again, thanks for reading uptil here, and I truly hope you enjoyed it. ^_^***   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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